


A Tomorrow of Our Own

by WolfChalk



Series: The Croods Collection - The Sun Was a Wayfarer [4]
Category: The Croods (Movies), The Croods A New Age
Genre: Eep x Guy, F/M, Fluff, Geep, Guy x Eep, Hugging, Kissing, Post!Movies, Romance, Slice of Life, The croods - Freeform, Tooth Rotting Fluff, sfw romance but it has some kissing and implied sexual content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27997953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfChalk/pseuds/WolfChalk
Summary: "I think I love youSo what am I so afraid of?I'm afraid that I'm not sure ofA love there is no cure forI think I love youIsn't that what life is made of?Though it worries me to sayI've never felt this way""I couldn't sleep, I was thinking about Tomorrow... OUR Tomorrow."What is life like after Tomorrow? Guy and Eep are settling down into their new married life together at the Betterman Farm. There's been some obstacles along the way but its nothing they can't handle.Post!Sequel /// has slice of life and very little drama /// Guy x Eep Oneshot Collection /// contains obvious spoilers ///
Relationships: Eep/Guy (The Croods)
Series: The Croods Collection - The Sun Was a Wayfarer [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2089626
Comments: 13
Kudos: 77





	1. Tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: Guess who's got a new obsession. This girl. Just saw the new movie a few days ago and I'm in love, well I always liked Croods but this just reminded me why I enjoyed this franchise. The fanfic scene here looks dead af but oh well. This might turn into a multi chaptered story or a one shot collection, since I got a ton of unfinished Guy/Eep ficlets. Depends on what you guys prefer, I'll publish those stories eventually though regardless. Also, idk if Quickspinner is active anymore but I wanted to give them kudos for inspiring me to try writing some Croods content, I always loved their work.
> 
> Without further delay, here's the ficlet. Mild steaminess but nothing that'll push anything because I can't write kisses for cripe. Never wrote kisses either until now so forgive my virgin ass. Also no beta or revisions, we die on this hill like men.

****

* * *

**The Sun Was a Wayfarer - Series**

**< Previous>** _All I Can Think About_ **< next>** _n/a_

* * *

He wasn’t wrong about the flowers, butterflies and babbling brook that would be in their very own home. This privacy thing wasn’t so bad either once she got over the initial newness of it too. There was also the benefit of being able to shamelessly share a space with him that wasn’t occupied by seven other large masses getting in the way. Okay, so _maybe_ the sleep pile did have its drawbacks now that she thought about it. It reeked of love though, despite what Guy might have said against it. 

Guy's arm was slung loosely over her waist as she curled up into his side. He was warm, combating the morning chill that turned her skin to goose flesh. Eep burrowed her nose into his neck, breathing deeply. She could feel his pulse under her lips. The strange scent of vanilla was finally fading away to something that was just _Guy_ again. She had woken up with the sunrise and was unable to fall back to sleep. So she watched the early light of dawn warm his features, turning his caramel skin a rich bronze color. 

She admired him with a soft smile, reaching out fondly to brush her fingers against his cheek. To think she'd nearly lost him, the thought still made her stomach clench. Ee[ ran her hand over his chest to lay her palm flat against his heart. Guy stirred with a soft groan, eyelids quivering though he didn't open them. Instead, a lazy smile crossed his face.

"Mhm… isn't it a little early for that?" He murmured though he hardly sounded like he was complaining over the attention. 

She fought a grin off, instead brushing her fingers against his skin. "Hey," she greeted.

His voice was still thick with sleep, giving it a raspy timbre sound. "Hey what?"

"Hey _you_ , good morning," Eep merrily said, reaching up to fondly poke his nose.

He huffed, at last looking at her bleary eyed. Guy lifted his free hand to touch her nose, watching her go cross eyed as she tried following it. "Morning boop."

"Is that what we're calling it?" She let out a giggle.

"I'm not awake enough to think of something better," he said, beginning to stretch. "Have you been up long?" He reclined his head to try getting a proper look out the window, everything was covered in pre dawn light.

"A bit," she hummed, leaning towards him to press a featherlight kiss to his lips. He chased after her when she pulled back, cupping her cheek. She felt his sleepy smile. "I thought it was too early," Eep teased, practically purring. 

"I can make exceptions," he protested, wrapping his arms around her to pull her flush against him.

She snorted more so than laughed, trying to muffle it against his neck. Eep took the opportunity to playfully nip at his pulse point, feeling his hands clutch her waist. She grinned, dragging her teeth along the spot a moment before she sighed. Nestling closer, there were no complaints on Guy's part as she practically draped herself over his chest. 

"Still doesn't feel real," she couldn't help but muse.

"Hmm?" He encouraged her with a hum, stroking her back with his calloused palms. He traced a large scar that dipped down the lower part of her spine.

"You know… this, _us_ , here together," Eep said in a wistful sort of way. She lifted her head up to look at him, finding his dark eyes were glinting with emotion.

"Well, _I'm_ glad it's real." He pressed a chaste kiss to her nose before pulling her back close. He rolled onto his side with her in his arms. "I was stupid."

"And I was unfair," she added, knowing the blame wasn't solely his. Eep could have handled that argument better, communicated what she was feeling so she hadn't blown up at him like a fire spewing volcano. The ash that had rained down was worse than the lava, really. "I didn't think about how _you_ were feeling."

He gave her a smile, tender as he looked at her. "I'm just as guilty of that, Eep." 

"Yeah but you weren't the one storming up a tree throwing a fit," she huffed, her thoughts drifting back to her mother Ugga. She'd practically flattened that small clearing into nothing with how many trees she destroyed in her anger. The heartbreak lingered at its strings when she let her mind dwell on the moment. 

_"I can’t believe he would choose... a_ **_tree_ ** _over me."_

_"I don't think it's that simple. Guy knew the Bettermans when he was little, they're the closest thing he has to a family."_

"We could keep this blame game up for forever," he said with a sigh, instead tangling his long fingers into her hair. "Words are weapons we _really_ need to remember to be more careful with."

"I'm sorry I called you stupid," she said, feeling him huff into her neck. 

"When did you call me stupid?"

"After our break up… I was venting to Dawn and I told her boys are stupid." Eep felt him laugh more so than heard it, Guy muffling his face into her collarbone. "What?"

"I called you complicated, we're even now." He drew away to poke her nose, earning himself a pout as Eep returned the gesture. It was their little game, one Eep was glad to finally get back to. "I don't think the punch monkeys agreed with me though."

"Complicated?" She arched a brow, amusement in her voice. If she knew where this was going, it would be a pretty easy guess. Eep leaned away to sit up a little, making space between them. "What girls besides Dawn do you know?"

"You," he teased.

"I don't count," she quipped, poking him on the chest.

"Well… what boys do _you_ know then?" His tone was mirthful, leaning up on his elbow as he looked at her.

She opened her mouth to retort.

"Your dad, Thunk and Mr. Betterman don't count."

She hinged her jaw back closed with a pout. "Fineee," Eep said, dragging out the word before flopping back down against him. Her weight sent him down on his back again before she rolled off him. They were still pressed close together.

"Okay so we might not be the best frames of reference." Guy leaned his head against hers as they laid side by side.

"Oh definitely," Eep agreed, grinning.

"Also… I'm sorry I told you to take a shower." Eep turned to brush her nose against his cheek, making Guy turn to grin sheepishly at her.

"When was the last time _you_ took a shower?" She couldn't really pick up the scent of soft rain and cool mountain streams on his skin anymore, it was faint even with her very sensitive nose.

Guy looked confused by the question before reclining back to get more comfortable. "A few days?" Eep gazed at him with confused eyes, Guy picked up the social cue. "I thought I kinda deserved it, like penance?"

"Guy, you can shower, for The End's sake." She shook her head.

He gave a helpless sort of shrug, making Eep nudge him with her shoulder. “Maybe tomorrow.”

“It’s always Tomorrow with you, isn’t it, babe?” Eep sighed fondly. 

He seemed to realize what he’d said and grinned, toothy and wide as he laced their fingers together. They were pressed palm to palm, it brought a wave of nostalgia over Eep when she remembered back to the first time in that maze of a gully filled with crystals. _Come with me,_ the memory echoed before his voice broke through with a tender reverence. “I have my Tomorrow figured out now. Don’t you worry, Eep.”

“Like I ever was worried,” she said, feeling uncharacteristically flustered. She knew it was silly to be, considering that now they were more than just boyfriend and girlfriend.

He was her husband and she was his wife, yet the butterflies still flocked a storm in her belly. They shared more than just body together but heart and mind too. They were life mates and yet things didn't really feel any different, she'd lived with him long enough. The change in their routine in the few short moons since the situation with the spineback gorilla was hardly a shift that needed adapting to.

His face looked sad for a moment, brows furrowed as he nuzzled his nose into her chin. He peppered her jaw with kisses, trying to reassure her without words. She lifted her neck with a shiver, giving him better access. Nothing was said for a long moment as they traded lazy kiss after lazy kiss, the morning was still young and they had all the time in the world to enjoy each other. After pressing his lips to her jaw a few more times he drew back with a loving grin, one she returned before nuzzling her nose against his.

His breath tickled her lips, their foreheads pressed against one another. This was what she always wanted, _just_ him right here, together forever in their Tomorrow. There was no Tomorrow without him.

“Hey,” she said in a low voice.

“Hey what?”

“I love you.” Eep beamed at him.

"You're pretty awesome too, I hope you know that," he told her as they leaned against each other. 

She practically purred with delight, Eep brushing his cheek with her own. "You could stand to tell me that every so often, actually."

Something about the words seemed to make his eyes flash and he perked up considerably.

"Oh yeah," he exclaimed, nudging her to sit up on the bed. Eep leaned back on her heels and watched Guy get up. He went to dig through their things, they still needed to finish unpacking but the excitement of new marital bliss was distracting. It was a wonder they got anything done when they were so wrapped up in eachother every day. "There's something I wanted to do if you were okay with it."

She scooted off the pallet, alit with curiosity as she coyly arched a brow. "Oh? Like what?"

He seemed to catch her hint and huffed, amused. "You wish, I mean something _else."_

She pretended to be disappointed, resting her chin on her fist as she sat back down. "You're no fun."

"You didn't say that last night," he teased before continuing his rummaging. Hesitation flashed across Guy's face, soon replaced with a resolve strong as steel. He turned to face her with a jar in his hand. "I made extra Henna," Guy explained, gesturing to himself. The newly painted stripes had long since dried, Eep had missed them.

"For?"

"Well… you," he replied, shuffling his weight before approaching her again. "Since we're married and all now, I thought… maybe you'd…?"

"Are you sure this isn't an excuse to get handsy, Guy?" She nudged his knee with her foot, rousing a laugh out of him.

"And your dad said _I_ was the bad influence," he said. Guy's smile turned wistful suddenly, dark eyes gazing at the jar. "I remember my mom and dad having matching paint."

Eep smiled at him, sympathy on her face. She hopped onto her feet, reaching out to trace her hand down a stripe on his slender shoulder. "Was it all your family?"

"Yeah, our tribe used them to make sure people knew we were all together, that we were one people." He rested his large palm over hers, stopping her. Guy slowly led her hand down his arm, Eep touching the two stripes around his bicep before finally he tangled their fingers together. “ _You’re_ my family now,” he said fondly, soft. “So, that makes you my tribe too.”

“You think I’ve earned my stripes?”

“There was never anything to test you for,” Guy replied with a shake of his head, lifting their joint hands so he could kiss her knuckles. “Nothing at all to prove.” Eep reached out to trace his cheek with her fingers before laying her palm flat against it. He leaned into her touch, arching his brows with a small grin. “So… is it a yes?”

Eep nodded her head. “I always look pretty good in stripes anyways.”

“You _always_ look good.”

“Flattering me will get you nowhere,” she said in jest, though she glowed with how pleased she was by the compliment.

“It's gotten me _this_ far,” Guy replied, leaning forward to kiss her. 

Eep met him half way, pulling his palm closer to hers as she wrapped her free arm around his waist. Guy cursed the jar of paint in his other hand, groaning against her mouth. Eep was flush against his torso and chest, always the daring one and already she took control of the kiss. He was always happy to follow her lead though.

She gave his lip a feisty nip, Guy juggled for his paint when he mentally stumbled and slackened his grip. It cooled some of the heat in his belly, simmering into embers. Finally, he mustered enough willpower to pull away from her when he felt the soft flicker of her tongue. He'd never get the tattoos on her before the first chickenseal crow at this rate.

Eep let go of his hand and pulled away from him, seeing he needed the breathing room. She just grinned broadly at his flushed cheeks and flustered expression. He cleared his throat, adjusting his cargo. “Um… anyway, guess just sit on the stool there.”

She took a seat with surprising daintiness as she did so. Guy crouched in front of her, gesturing with his head for her to give him her arm. Eep extended her forearm, watching Guy dip his hand into the red paste. He began to trace a stripe along her bicep gently, feeling the firm muscle under his palm and fingers. 

“It might itch for a few hours at first,” he told her, trying to distract himself from the nervous pounding in between his ears. 

Eep noticed the first stripe he painted wasn’t rounded like his, but kind of lopsided in places and jagged in shape. She looked from her stripe to Guy’s, curious if he’d slipped up. He only grinned. “Let’s just say Gran inspired me, _Fire Heart_.”

It suddenly made sense, her eyes quickly glancing back at the lightning bolt shaped stripe curved around her bicep. “But its not---”

“New tribe names, remember?” Guy leaned back on his heels a moment to give her a proper look. “We can change things, make new traditions. It still means the same thing, Eep. It just has a personal touch now.”

“We never got to give you a name, you know.”

“Well… you could now I guess.”

“I’m not as good as Gran is at the Thunder Sister naming thing,” Eep mused, watching Guy dunk his fingers in more of the Henna to paint another stripe. 

Guy chuckled, “Can’t be any worse than Bog Water.”

“Hey you, Mrs. Betterman is _proud_ to be Bog Water.” She reached her free hand to reach into the Henna, dipping her fingers in it before playfully tracing a shape against his eyebrow. Guy started, nearly messing up his own paint job as he looked at Eep. “Hold still, I’m christening you.”

Guy tried looking at what she was doing but it was pretty much impossible so he just waited patiently for Eep to finish. It was two tusk-like shapes she’d painted under both eyes, starting at his eyebrows and stopping at the slope of his nose. Eep cleared her throat dramatically. “From now on,” Eep began with as noble a voice she could muster. “You will be Bright Smile.”

When he grinned at her, Eep knew it was the perfect name, even if it didn’t sound the most intimidating. It certainly was no Blood Horn or Fire Heart. “Bright Smile?”

She thought back to the night she’d met him, drawn out of her cave by the light of his fire. When she thought he was a warthog beast ready to kill her, Eep hadn’t hesitated to grab for a rock to dash his brains in. However, there were hands that reached out to placate her and ever so slowly the boar head had come off. In its place was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen and he was _smiling_ at her.

At least, until she was startled so badly she dropped said rock upon his foot but that was a different story entirely and one she still thought back on with embarrassment. “If the shoe fits, you make extra pairs,” Eep chirped proudly, feeling giddy with a secretive smile.

“I like it,” he told her, idly touching the edge of the paint with his finger. “Wish I could see what you painted though.”

“It's nothing _phallic_ if that’s what you’re thinking, Guy.” 

“I wasn’t going to say that,” he replied.

“You were thinking it,” Eep _tsked_ with a pout. 

Guy chuckled, shaking his head before going back to his work. He painted another stripe, the placement similar to his own. He went into the farthest depth of his memory to try recalling just _how_ the stripes looked between married pairs. Eep rolled up her night shirt up to her chest, letting Guy draw stripes similar to the ones he had. Hers were on her belly though, and when he circled her ribs, Eep fought off a giggle at just how tickling she was.

He couldn't resist digging his fingers into her side, rousing a shriek of laughter. "Stop! You'll ruin your paint job!" Eep exclaimed. 

"I can just redo it," he quipped, grinning though he lightened his touch to avoid another giggle fit when he began the next stripe that went closer to her hip bone. 

She reached over his head, ignoring his gentle scolding that she was fidgeting too much to grab the mirror on the nightstand. “What happened to just redoing it, Guy?” Eep teased. 

Gripping it in her hands, Eep pushed her finger against his forehead to make him lean back. She presented him with his reflection in the glass, grinning as she peeked over for his reaction.

He paused with a contemplated expression on his face and tipped his head to the side, causing some of his hair to fall away like a curtain. Guy seemed to connect the dots in what his face paint meant, recognition alit in those dark eyes of his. After several heartbeats, Guy glanced up at her. “You still think about it?”

Eep knew what he meant and nodded. “Of course, it was only one of the most important nights of my life.” He smiled at her and Eep fought off a blissful sigh. “Now you’re just being deliberate.”

“How so?” Eep traced his lips with her index finger, outlining his smile and she bopped him one right on the nose right after. He looked like a confused puppy for a moment before he chuckled. “Hey, it worked. You didn’t break my head with a rock. My foot though…”

She huffed, pressing her full palm into his face in embarrassment. “Ssshh, you snuck up on me. You deserved that.” The words were muffled against her hand but she got the gist of it. “No, you could have just said something.”

Guy reached over to grab her wrist, pulling her hand away. “Air,” he gasped out first before speaking more. “I’m glad you broke into my camp and tried stealing my fire anyway. It worked out.”

“That sounds even worse out loud,” Eep bemoaned, pulling a clump of her wild red mane of hair over her face. 

“And then there was the log ride…”

“Guy!”

“I say this with love, Eep.”

She only huffed at him and put the mirror back where it came from. “Don’t you have some stripes to finish painting?”

“I will if a certain _someone,_ who will remain nameless, would let me,” he said with mirth, pointing from the bowl of Henna to her.

“You’re starting to sound a lot like my dad, _Mr. Crood_.” Eep held still at last, letting Guy finally finish the stripe on her hip.

“Mr. Crood? Mr. Crood is my father-in-law, Eep.” The comment earned him a gentle tap on the head, gentle for Eep at least. He blinked as his vision blurred for a second. He reached over and hoisted her leg up onto his shoulder. Her weight was heavy and solid but he’d grown used to it in the recent moons.

_“Guy!”_ She nearly sounded scandalized, much to his amusement.

“I have to paint your thigh!”

She sheepishly looked away from him and Guy began painting the final stripes. He was quick about it, since she seemed to fidget awkwardly at their position. It was silly to be embarrassed when all things were considered, Eep took a moment to glance at the rock Guy had given her that rested next to the bed. Finally, he drew back and lowered her leg back onto the ground, relinquishing it. 

“That should do it,” he said, sounding proud. Guy stood up, grunting as he popped his back at the stiff muscles that had coiled during his seated position. “You’re right, you _do_ look good in stripes.”

Eep got up from the stool with an eager little hop, extending her arm out to give it a good once over. She reached out to touch the edge of one stripe, careful to not mess up the paint. It would take a few hours to properly dry. It was a deep red but she knew with time they would soon be the same shade of brown as her husband’s. She looked at Guy who was waiting for her opinion, he tried hard to not look as excited as he felt but like always he was an open book. 

“I love them, Guy.” She reached out to hug him, weary of pressing her torso too close to his. Guy patted her back gently. He wanted to tug her close but he'd spent too much effort on the Henna to mess it up. “Thank you.”

"I'm glad you like them," he said, beaming. " _Thank you_ , love."

She flushed at the term of endearment even though she heard it plenty of times prior. Eep looked back down at her stripes, admiring them.She wondered what Guy’s family would have thought of her. Would they approve of her being part of them, even if it was only in spirit now?

"Something on your mind?" His voice coaxed her from her thoughts, drawing her back to the present.

"Nothing," she began before furrowed her brows. "Well… maybe not nothing. I was thinking what your parents might have thought of me." Eep knew the Bettermans hadn't approved of her at first but that was different now, they were quickly becoming like family.

The Bettermans had been part of Guy's old tribe, though they no longer wore their stripes. Guy looked thoughtful but he didn't hesitate. "Mom and dad would have adored you. I know it."

"Why is that?"

"They told me to find Tomorrow and I found _you._ It was always you, that's why." He squeezed her hand reassuringly. 

Eep smiled back at him, she couldn't help but feel relieved. There was the familiar sound of a chickenseal cawing that roused them, breaking the moment. Guy looked at the window, surprised that so much time had passed. The sky was now a light blue color.

"And there's our cue to get ready for the day," he sighed, turning away to put the paint away and wash his hands in a nearby basin.

"Yeah, we gotta go meet up with Dawn for the morning chores." Eep removed her night shirt to go grab her fur pelt dress that was draped over a nearby pole. She grabbed Guy's pants and boots along the way, tossing both in his direction. 

He was quick to get dressed, tugging the garments on. "Careful with the paint," he cautioned once Eep pulled her dress over her head.

"This one hangs looser than my other one," Eep reassured him.

He nodded his head and gave the room a look. "We really need to think about organizing this place," he said, eying their unpacked bags and disarray belongings.

Eep began making her way for the door after pecking his cheek. "There's always Tomorrow," she chirped and she heard him laugh.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

  
  



	2. Flowers and Soft Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This one is a tad shorter than the last chapter but I think it has enough fluff to make up for it ~ Again, these chapters aren't chronological or story based. Just random snippets out of Guy and Eep's married life. I'm open to chapter suggestions ~

Guy grew to really like this warm bitter bean juice that the Bettermans had made up. The name was pretty lengthy though and didn't roll off the tongue, Guy meant to talk to Phil about that. Coffee seemed like a good word, he wasn't sure why but it felt right. He liked to spend his mornings before needing to get to the family chores in silence, sipping from the cup to energize and shake off the remainder of the sleep. Eep wasn't much of a morning person, a lifetime routine of sleeping in until past sunrise was hard to shake.

He glanced out towards the farm, admiring the pastures glowing golden under the early dawn light. It shouldn't be long though until his wife awoke, stumbling into the patio once she realized he wasn't in the house. Perhaps he could convince her to join him for a morning shower, he mused as he leaned back comfortably in his chair. Belt was laying on his lap, the sloth purring in contentment as Guy stroked his red fur gently.

As if on cue, he could hear the lumbering footsteps of his mate from the other side of the wall. She was usually pretty graceful and light on her feet but until she finally woke up properly it was like an owlbear was in the house. 

"Mhm… babe?" The sleepy voice called out.

"Patio, Eep," Guy called, taking another swig of the bitter bean juice.

Eep pushed the door open and stretched, opening her mouth into a loud yawn. Her bright red hair, which was usually always a bird's nest, was even more so. She looked at Guy, rubbing a green eye with her fist.

Guy smiled at her, giving her sleepy vistage a look. "Finally joining the world of the living, are we?"

Eep huffed at him and padded towards him, reaching down to pick up Belt off his lap. The sloth gave a wirring noise in greeting, Eep taking his spot back on Guy's lap. Eep curled up much like a cat comfortably, pulling her knees up and resting her head beneath his chin. Guy adjusted his legs so they could support Eep better without cramping his knees. She let Belt rest in her arms though, idly patting his head. Guy chuckled, tangling his fingers in her hair.

He began to gently brush through her hair, pulling apart any tangles he felt. She closed her eyes with a content little noise, still tired. Guy was quiet for a moment, gazing fondly at her. "I think you need a coffee," Guy murmured, pressing his lips against her temple. 

"A what?" Eep started, peeking a bleary eye open. 

"Bitter bean juice, sorry. I forgot I'm the only one still using that word." Eep turned to look at his cup with a frown.

"That stuff is nasty," she said but reached for his cup anyway, ignoring his half hearted protest that he could get her a cup of her own. Eep lifted it to her lips, making a face after the first few sips. "Bleh, I don't know how you and Mr. Betterman drink this every morning."

"It's an acquired taste. Have you tried adding sugar and shark milk?" Guy inquired, knowing that was how Hope and Dawn liked their morning beverages. 

Eep, despite her complaint, still took another drink. Her sour expression made him suppress a chuckle, instead Guy muffled his face into the soft curve of her neck. She only gave a grouchy groan.

Guy grinned. "How are you today, sunshine?"

"I woke up today so I can't complain," Eep said, always taking every day as a blessing since leaving the confines of her old dusty cave. 

Eep stretched a moment, somehow avoiding jostling her comfortable position whilst doing so. Belt slowly squirmed himself free of Eep's embrace and looped his arms around his neck, causing Guy to lean back. His pet found a more cozy place there, draping himself like a scarf across his shoulders.

She still looked very sleepy and Guy shook his head, brushing his thumb against her cheek. “Hey, if the bitter bean juice doesn’t perk you up, I know something else that will.”

“And that is? I’m really comfortable now,” Eep murmured, wrapping her arms around his bicep as she snuggled closer to the warmth of his belly and chest. She practically curled around him like Belt would.

“A nice shower, and I promise, no vanilla this time,” he said, feeling Eep’s defiant huff more so than seeing it as her breath fanned his skin. He brushed both his hands through her hair once more, featherlight and gentle. She gave a sleepy mumble. “Hmm?”

“ _ Fineee,  _ but only if you keep doing that thing.”

“You mean this?” He curled a strand of her red hair around his finger.

“Mhm, it feels nice.” 

Guy began to nudge her up, bumping his knees until the cavewoman finally got the hint to get off. His legs were tingling, falling asleep themselves as he stood up and stretched. He took his cup back and downed the rest of the bitter bean juice in one, long chug. Eep waited for him, shuffling her weight. He gently pried Belt off his shoulders to let his little friend climb on the wooden perch he and Dawn had built together for the sloths to enjoy, Belt hanging upside down.

“You hold down the fort for me and Eep,” he instructed Belt, playfully shaking a finger in a mock stern way. Belt gave a salute, rumbling his response as his big blue eyes stared up at him and Eep. “We’ll be back.”

After fondly scratching his pet behind the ears, Guy led Eep out across the wooden bridge connecting their home to the rest of the rooms situated all around the Betterman Tree. He breathed in the morning air, enjoying the wafting floral scents. He glanced at Eep, her eyes were closed a moment as she let the breeze brush against her face. 

Eep was always alert despite being a bit groggy and turned to look at him. Guy didn’t hide the dumb smile on his face, if anything it grew wider when she realized he was admiring her. “What? Do I have something on my face?” She attempted to look at herself. 

“Yes, just all of you." 

Eep fought off a grin at that, he knew it was a corny and terrible joke but so long as it made her laugh he could care less. They continued across the bridge that led to where the showers were located on the property, near the waterfall. 

He gave Eep privacy to get out of her dress, modestly facing away. He only began getting ready himself once he heard the water go off, signaling Eep had retreated into one of the showers. Guy began to take his shoes off and pants, throwing them over the rack nearby alongside Eep's tiger pelt. 

There was a shelf lined with toiletries and he grabbed one of the soaps, giving it a careful sniff as to avoid offending Eep's heightened sense of smell. He enjoyed the more sweet smelling fragrances but he knew Eep was very picky about what  _ she  _ liked to smell. It didn't stem from disdain of such luxuries, especially after adapting to their more modern living but Eep couldn't control the fact her nose was just so much stronger than his. 

This one smelled like the flowers Eep enjoyed so he decided it was the safest bet and he headed for the shower next to hers. Before he could pull the lever, his wife's voice came through the wall.

"Wait a second, Guy. Come shower with me," Eep called.

He nearly dropped his bar of soap at the invitation, ears burning. “Eep, I thought we agreed that um…”

"This is hardly the spot for wooing me, Guy." Her tone was dead panned and flat when she realized how her invitation to bathe sounded.

Guy suppressed a grin. "'Woo you?'"

"You could bring me some flowers _with_ the soap I guess, first off." He knew she was joking, imagining the smirk on her lips.. She huffed afterwards. "I have my underthings on anyway, just get in here with me,” Eep demanded over the sound of the water. 

Her tone left little room to argue and he wasn't one to fight her. Eep always had her way eventually whether through that strong will of hers or by simply being the  _ strongest  _ physically between them. He didn't mind that though, Guy mused with a fond, inward sigh.

Guy could hear her on the other side of the shower he was in and with a careful peek out to make sure nobody would walk in, hastily shimmied in behind her. He felt her turn to face his back, her arms winding around his torso to hug him. Luckily the showers were roomy enough to fit two people.

The water pouring down on his shoulders and head felt nice in the combination of being snuggled in Eep’s arms. He took a breath to just relax in the moment; the calming feel of Eep's heartbeat against the small of his back where she was cuddled flush against him. He turned his head to look at her, seeing only part of her face as it nestled into the nape of his neck.

Eep tugged on his arm after pulling away. "Wash my hair, you said you would," she said in that all too familiar tone that was purely Eep. It gave Guy memory of when he'd first shown her fire and then was crushed in her eagerness to have some of her own.

Guy turned around, feeling their skin brush. He began to lather his hands up with the soap he'd brought with him before scrubbing his fingers against her scalp. She hummed in contentment, feeling his palms run down to rub her neck and shoulders after. He cupped some water in his hands to lightly wash the suds down.

He felt for any pesky tangles, knowing now would be the best time to get them out. He was gentle in coaxing a knot that was somewhere at the back of her hair. Intent on the task at hand, Guy didn't notice Eep shift so she could rub her soapy hands on his shoulders. 

Guy gave an appreciative hum, feeling her small calloused hands work out the tension in the muscles there. She worked her hands up with a surprisingly gentle touch that Eep wasn't known for it. The tips of her fingers brushed his jaw, barely holding his face as he looked down at her. She grinned, finally cupping his cheeks as she began to wash his face.

She snickered suddenly, pulling her hands away. 

"What's so funny?" He asked, continuing to gently groom her wild red mane of hair.

"You look like you have a beard," she replied, reaching back up to wipe off a glob of soapy suds that stuck to his face.

"Oh?" With his palms still full of suds, he began to lather them across her cheeks and mouth. Eep sputtered in her attempt to avoid getting the flavor of soap on her tongue. Guy just grinned, removing his hands. 

Eep wiped her face off and with a smirk and defiant cry, picked up a glob of suds and chucked them at him. The space was small so there wasn't much room to run, not that he would have. Guy returned the attack with one of his own, throwing suds towards her. Soon, the little space was nothing more than bubbles and the scent of flowers from the shampoo became almost nauseating. 

The water was starting to get cooled as well and with their skin getting pruned, it was a mutual agreement of a true they finished up quickly and got out. Besides, Guy didn’t want to be caught alone in the showers with Eep, he'd never hear the end of it from her parents and the Bettermans.

_ Especially _ after last time…

_ "You two have a perfectly good tree house right there!"  _ Phil had exclaimed, gesturing ambiguously in the general direction by the waterfall fall.  _ "And here you are defiling my roses!" _

Guy knew he was usually pretty shameless in his romantic endeavours but after hastily tugging back on his trousers he quickly felt embarrassment tinge him bright red. He stood in front of Eep to give her some sense of modesty. Eep just smoothed her dress and hair out best she could, torn between finding the situation hilarious or humiliating as they were lectured.

_ “Be happy it was me and not Grug! I think you would have killed the man before he could kill you, Guy!”  _ Phil continued with his hand over his eyes in a dramatic fashion. 

Guy knew perhaps it was a bit on the far fetched directions of outcomes but he  _ also  _ knew Grug would always be protective over his little girl. Even if he’d accepted that now Eep and Guy lead new separate lives from the pack itself. 

_ "I don't know what they were wrestling about but I think Eep was winning,"  _ he'd heard Thunk say after Phil hurriedly rushed the boy off.

Getting walked in on was never fun. He was sure Phil couldn't even look at them for the next three days out of the sheer mortification. Not that the feeling wasn't mutual, it was when he made sure to make the rule they didn't chance it again next time. But Eep sure loved to push it anyway and he knew he was just as guilty in this as her. He passed her a towel that she shared with him, ruffling his hair up. 

She let Guy take a brush to her hair afterwards, grumbling good naturedly when she felt him tug on a small tangle. “It’ll be super nice after all this,” Guy assured her, idly fluffing at the ends of her hair. “Not that it isn’t already super nice,” he back paddled with a stutter, not wanting to make the fatal mistake he had their first day on the farm. “Um…”

“Relax, Guy. I know,” she quipped, chuckling at his nerves. 

“Feel better now? More refreshed?” Guy inquired, drawing away to examine his handy work. Her hair was still damp but from the combination of the soap and grooming showed signs of being as fluffy and glossy as a moomoth’s coat. 

“Yeah, I do,” Eep replied, smiling as she reached out to touch a strand of her hair idly. “Way better than that awful bean juice stuff.”

He grinned. “We’ll see about changing your tune on that next,” he teased her. “It just needs sugar.”

“No, it needs to get poured on the dirt,” she said with a pout, making a funny disgusted face that made Guy chuckle. “I think it wouldn’t make a difference though. I’ve tasted dirt plenty of times before and the dirt probably _was_ better anyway.”

“Never change,” he only said fondly, leaning forward to touch his forehead and nose to hers. Eep went quiet for a second, stilled at the intimate gesture that came out so out of the blue. Though kisses were his culture and happily traded between them now, something about the simple touch of skin and skin like this gave a weight of intimacy that was so different.  _ More  _ raw, even. 

She smiled in a pleased manner, humming. “It’s too early to get all soft on me, Guy.”

“I’m patient but I’m not going to wait until nighttime just to say this stuff, Eep.” He cupped her face in his hands, gentle as he pressed himself closer to her. Guy suppressed a sigh, feeling her warm body supple against his.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, sighing appreciatively. He huffed against her skin. Eep really was more refreshing than a cup of bitter bean juice in the morning, she was his acquired taste and he wouldn’t dream of adding any amount of sugar to change it, either.


	3. Their Own Pack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I had about five themes drafted and this was one of them. I'd initially planned for this chapter to appear much later down the line but after taking a vote in my Croods discord server, this one won the vote. It also turned out much much longer than I thought it would be. So really hoping you guys like this next installment for A Tomorrow of Our Own, please leave a review if you liked it. Feedback really keeps me inspired and going. As for the timeframe of this chapter in comparison to the events after A New Age, I want to say at least one or two years, at the latest, so Eep and Guy are around 18 or 19 years old. [properly updated the ages since the artbook says Eep is 17, not 19]

It was the fourth time she'd gotten sick that morning and it wasn't even close to sunrise yet. The pot next to their bed became her newest best friend, Eep silently offering her apologies to Dawn in her mind for the sudden replacement. It was a surprise she had anything left in her stomach at all but perhaps it was true she was bottomless.

Guy held back her hair and rubbed her shoulders comfortingly with his other hand. Bless his patience, Eep knew she'd struck it lucky with him. After she was finished retching, Eep leaned back pitifully against the wall as Guy went to empty the bucket. Eep's ears burned in embarrassment over it, sweat making that one stubborn lock of hair stick to her forehead.

"I look like something Chunky dragged in," Eep lamented once Guy returned, he kicked the door gently closed behind him.

His dark eyes glinted with sympathy as he looked down at her. It took effort to heft her up back on the pallet, Eep was always dead weight in his arms. He tenderly brushed aside the forelock of hair. He traced his fingers down her cheek and cradled her chin in his hand, gentle as always. Guy pressed his lips against her brow, checking her temperature and found she was burning up still.

"You want some water?" Guy headed for the tap when she groaned out a weak _yes_. He filled the cup and crouched down beside her, watching his mate eagerly down the cool mountain water. "Eep, I think you should go talk to your mom or Mrs. Betterman about this."

Eep furrowed her brows, breathing heavily against the cup's rim as she paused. "I guess you're right," she mumbled, sounding both stubborn and hesitant. He knew she wouldn't admit but she felt nervous, afraid even.

"It could be nothing," he added quickly, resting his hand on her bare knee. "But you haven't been looking good the last couple days."

Eep handed him her cup. "Thanks, babe," Eep grouched, letting her head fall back against the bed with a huff.

Guy seemed to realize what he said and began to back track, leaning forward to look down at her after putting the cup on the ground. "Eep, you know that wasn't what I meant. You are beautiful."

She cracked a smile despite how awful she felt, covered in sweat and achy all over. "Tell me that again when I puke for a fifth time," she groaned, rolling onto her side and curling up pitfully as she held her nauseated stomach.

Guy joined her on the soft bed, for once the big spoon as he enveloped her in his arms. He rested his chin on her shoulder, knowing the only thing he could really do for her was be a solid presence and support her. He rubbed his hand against her forearm in an attempt to soothe her.

"We'll get through this," he reassured her.

Eep didn't say anything, just fell into a restless sleep. Guy quietly worried, he was always good at that.

* * *

Guy let Eep sleep in as late as he could, knowing she was exhausted from the early morning combined with last night's awful sleep. She'd been sick as a crocopup but after the final caw of the chickenseal that signified noon would soon approach, Guy nudged her awake. He saw the bags under her eyes and the slouch in her shoulders, this wasn't the usual bright eyed Eep he was used to.

They began to head out the door where they met up with Dawn who had happened to be on their side of the waterfall. Belt, who hung around his waist, immediately began reaching for Sash. The two sloths hung comically over Dawn's arm as she extended it out to accommodate Belt. Belt and Sash made themselves comfortable on her neck and arm, purring and nuzzling one another as Dawn attempted to not get stuck in between them.

"You look horrible," Dawn told Eep when she saw her and Guy crossing the bridge towards the big tree. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

Eep lolled her head back in a dramatic fashion, her neck feeling uncomfortably stiff. "I know," she complained, leaning against Guy who nearly stumbled at her heavy weight. "I think I'm dying."

"You're not dying," Guy told her firmly, trying to disguise his nerves as he looked at Dawn. "Do you know where your and Eep's mom are?"

"Yeah, they're in the kitchen getting lunch started," Dawn said, tipping her head to the side curiously. "Why is Eep dying?"

"I only have hours to live." He felt rather than heard Eep as she spoke the words into his arm.

"Eep's not dying," he said, turning to Dawn. "She's just got an upset stomach."

Dawn gave her best friend a sympathetic glance, green eyes concerned. "With how much she can eat in one sitting, it was only a matter of time."

"You are all really bad at this comforting thing," Eep quipped, turning to give both Guy and Dawn a narrow eyed look.

Guy grimaced. "Sorry… I'm sure though Ugga and Mrs. Betterman will know what to do, you'll be feeling better in no time." Guy didn't tack on the ' _I hope'_ he felt lingering in the back of his mind.

"C'mon, I'll go with you guys," Dawn offered, gesturing behind her back in the direction she'd come.

"Thanks, Dawn." Guy smiled at her before gently pulling Eep by the arm.

* * *

When they walked in, the first thing Guy saw were Grug and Phil lounging around the table with a sheet of canvas between them. Phil was proudly declaring a new idea of his. "I'm telling you, Grug. This baby can fit so many bananas in it, we and the punch monkeys will have Bronana Bread for weeks!" He scribbled some more charcoal on the surface of it as he continued to elaborate for the caveman.

"I don't know, Phil. Cavemen can eat a lot of bananas," Grug quipped, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Thunk had his travel window against his face, watching the men. "It's a rerun, Douglas. Bananas _again,"_ the boy lamented to his pet, Douglas giving a yip from where he laid comfortably at Thunk's feet. "Oh, Guy and Eep are here!"

Dawn followed in from behind them. Ugga and Hope were setting the dining table with the food they prepped, mostly being fruit and Bronana Bread. Sandy was perched on her mother's shoulders, giggling and growling every so often.

Ugga turned her head at the announcement. "Oh, there you two are. We were wondering when you would be coming out."

She then turned her focus on her son. "No window at the table, Thunk."

"No fair, why can dad and Mr. Betterdad get to make ideas at the table?!" He peered at them intently.

Phil looked up at the boy momentarily. "Because our ideas make the farm run for the better, son. If I don't think of new ideas, we might as well all be living in a cave!" He paused and eyed Grug a moment. "No offense, bro."

"None taken, bro," he said casually before focusing on Thunk with typical fatherly sternness. "Besides, it's _his_ tree and _we're_ the adults in charge so _we_ get to make the rules," Grug added gruffly. "Now listen to your mother," he tacked on, suddenly sheepish.

Hope turned away to finally face Guy, Eep and Dawn. She looked surprised at the sight of Eep but tried being polite. "Eep, you look — "

" _You look awful_. What rabid animal dragged you through the farm today?" Gran interrupted bluntly, idly picking her teeth with a knife.

"Gran!" Hope scolded.

"What? We were all thinking it," the old woman rebutted.

"Thanks, Gran," Eep said in a dry tone, slouching.

Guy awkwardly cleared his throat. "That's actually why we're here. Eep's been feeling under the weather lately."

Ugga stared at Guy like a confused puppy. "How can Eep be under weather? The sky is clear."

Eep blinked in a puzzled way as well. "If it's that simple, put me somewhere sunnier then, Guy."

Hope patted Ugga on the back. "It's just an expression, dear. Eep is sick."

Ugga's face lit up as recognition came to her. "That makes more sense."

"What a stupid expression, Guy and his big words." Gran got up from the chair she was sitting at to approach the group.

Ignoring Gran despite the annoyance pricking his skin, Guy spoke. "Yeah… we were hoping you might know. She's not getting any better."

"Emphasis on the not better," Eep chimed in.

Dawn patted her friend on the shoulder, sympathy in her eyes. "She's having a bad day."

"A bad day? I'm dying, Dawn," Eep announced yet again.

Guy nudged her side with a huff. "No you are not!"

"I dunno, Guy. She might just be onto something," Gran said with a smirk, grabbing her granddaughter by the chin. She pretended to examine Eep, idly turning her face this way and that. "Ooh, this looks bad! Better go get the dying hole ready, Guy." Her grin turned wicked.

"You aren't being funny," Hope scolded, nudging her away. "Shoo, back to where you came."

Grug chimed in from his seat. "The primordial ooze she crawled out of got destroyed during The End, good luck sending her back, Hope."

Gran scowled and gave an animalistic hiss.

Ugga glared at both her mate and mother before settling her kind eyes on Eep. "Alright, enough, all of you. What's wrong Eep?"

"Everything!" Eep threw her hands up, making Guy duck to avoid getting whacked in the face. "Everything sucks!"

"I think you need to be more specific," Dawn said in a kind manner.

Huffing moodily, Eep gathered her words. "Mom, I feel awful. Everything is uncomfortable, my ankles are swollen and I'm pretty sure I've barfed my entire lung up." Eep groaned, making a face as another wave of nausea turned her stomach sour.

Grug looked at Eep as his daughter lamented her woes to Ugga and Hope. "Why is Eep being so… dramatic?"

Eep whirled around to give her father a critical eye. "I'll show _you_ dram — "

Grug lifted his hands as if it would defend him. Phil grinned. Guy just looped an arm around her and tried rubbing her back soothingly until Eep finally relented and relaxed.

Ugga made a face before rounding on her mate and his banana bro Phil. Thunk hardly noticed her as he gazed around with his travel window. She clapped her hands to get the attention of everyone in the room. "Okay, this is girl talk. All the men have got to go."

"We're in the middle of something monumental here," Phil exclaimed and put his hands on his hips. "You can't kick me out of my own tree!" He shot Hope a look before gesturing at Guy for support. "Tell 'em, Guy! This is the bro code."

"Uh…" Eyes wide as saucers, he glanced frantically between the two Bettermans having their standoff. "Please don't put me in the middle of this, Mr. Betterman."

"That's right because he belongs with us, the Thunder Sisters!" Guy opened his mouth to rebuttal but shut it when Hope then continued, bringing up the argument prior. "Ugga can't but _I_ certainly can, Phil." Hope gave him a glare. "Out! All of you, don't make me go full on Thunder Sister with you!"

"You got that right, Bog Water!" Gran whooped loudly, smirking as she glanced up at Wigasus that peeked her way out. "Have any fight left in you, old girl?"

_"Squaaahhh!"_

Even Grug looked momentarily fearful, shifting his gaze between the ladies in the room. Ugga took a stance, arms crossing as she squared her broad shoulders. "Okay, okay. You don't need to tell me twice." He leaned towards Phil with an attempt to be inconspicuous. "Pick your battles wisely, Phil." Grug spoke through the side of his mouth in a low tone.

With one last glower at his wife, Phil deflated and grabbed his things off the table. The caveman got to his feet, beginning to lumbering out with an exasperated Phil tagging along at his heels, flip flops squeaking in an all too familiar jingle. "Women! Super, super complicated, Gruggers!"

Grug had no real response, if anything he moved even faster.

"Thunk!" Ugga pulled the window from his hands, ignoring his whine as she pointed in the direction Grug and Phil went. "Go outside for a bit, you need the fresh air."

"But mom — !"

"No butts, out. And take Sandy with you." Without missing a beat, she plucked her youngest child off her shoulders and into Thunk's arms.

He scrambled to hold the squirming youngster, crying out in fright as Sandy immediately went to sink her teeth into his bicep. The boy hobbled outside, complaining as Douglas loyally trotted behind him.

"You too, Dawn." Hope faced her daughter next when she saw Dawn still was next to Eep.

"You guys said no _boys_ ," Dawn said, confused.

"No children either."

"Mom, I'm a grown up," Dawn protested, however Hope was persistent. The woman pushed against her daughter, ushering her out the door. _"Mooommmm!"_

"March, little lady! Go… oh, I dunno, ride the death cat or something, Chunky looks restless today!" With one last shove, she turned back to Ugga.

Dawn's protesting quelled at this permission. She no longer struggled and instead practically flew her way towards the lifterator. Sash and Belt almost lost their grip at the speed she went.

 _"Dun dun dun?!"_ Guy heard Belt's concerned yelp.

"You're going to let her take Chunky for a joyride?" Guy inquired, trying to disguise the concern in his tone. "Unsupervised?"

Eep gave a nonchalant shrug. "I'm sure she'll be fine _,_ it's just a little lap around the farm," she said to reassure Guy. Knowing what _little_ usually meant to Eep, it didn't help very much.

He had other things to fret about however, his dark eyes settling on Eep as she suppressed an uncomfortable grimace. He would worry more about his childhood playmate later.

"Sure, why not, she is a _grown up_ after all." Hope grinned a little, shaking her head.

Ugga turned to Eep. "Alright, now that all the men and kids are out of here…" Her gray eyes landed on a fidgety Guy once he felt all the attention suddenly zero in on him.

Guy awkwardly looked between the matriarchs of both families and towards Eep, not sure where he fit into the 'no boys allowed rule.' He was her husband, after all. He made a vague gesture behind him. "Um… does that include me?"

Gran gave a crooked grin, jabbing him in the ribs with her stick. Guy didn't like her tone, full of implications he didn't understand. "I don't know, _Gal._ Does it?"

Guy shimmied away, practically hiding behind Eep for protection as she sent her grandmother a glare. "He stays."

Ugga only smiled. "I wasn't going to shoo him out regardless, Eep."

Hope nodded. "It takes two to tango, after all."

"Tango? Pardon?" Guy arched a brow as he slowly returned to Eep's side once it was safe to do so, no longer in jabbing range.

Gran looked at Hope. "Get me some dirt in a jar and those wheat seeds you got, Bog Water. I got just the trick for young Fire Heart here."

Hope headed outside of the room momentarily. It didn't take long for her to return, though in the meantime Ugga asked some questions.

"How long have you been feeling off, Eep?"

"I dunno… maybe four days? Didn't start puking until last night." She wrinkled her nose, disgusted.

Gran was blunt and to the point, as usual. "Ugga, just get right to it, we're all grown ups here." She jabbed her staff at the both of them. "When was the last time you two copulated?"

" _Gran!"_

_"Mom!"_

Guy wondered why he was still shocked by what came out of that woman's mouth at this point. Embarrassed, he scratched at his neck. "Erm… uh…" His face felt like hot lava, burning right down to his pulse.

"Why do you even _need_ to know that anyway?" Eep asked with a defensive edge to the words, neck flushed red as her hair.

"Okay, I got the stuff!" Hope arrived back and her eyes fitted around the room. "Did something happen? Was it Gran? Why am I asking, it's always Gran." She stopped giving Gran a critical look to gaze at the flushed faces of the young couple. "What did she say to you?"

"Why am I always the crazy lady for telling it like it is?" The old woman grouched. She extended her hand out with a 'give me' gesture..

"Because you _are_ the crazy lady, Gran." The words didn't carry the bite they used to, if anything they sounded almost fond. Hope gave her the pot.

"Bah! Back in my day, we didn't _have_ boy problems to cause 'crazy questions', because we didn't have any boys!" Gran peered into it, critical before giving a satisfied noise. Guy gave a confused echo of 'boy problems?' that was ignored. She faced Eep. "Here, go in this." Gran handed her the pot of dirt that Eep peered at incredulously. Catching her confused stare, her grandmother scowled. "What's with the look?"

Guy cocked his head to the side, equally puzzled. "How is a jar of dirt supposed to tell us what's wrong with Eep?"

"If the wheat sprouts, congrats, I'm a great grandmother," Gran replied, leaning against her staff. Eep choked on her saliva a moment, nearly dropping the pot. Ugga jabbed her mother in the ribs over how uncouth she was being with such a major announcement. "Why is everyone so surprised over this? You really think they've been doing nothing since getting that house alone?"

Guy felt like an idiot, he was supposed to be the smart one. _It should have been obvious,_ he thought, his mind racing a mile a minute. It wasn't that hard to put two and two together to make four… or more like a baby makes _three_ when you have two adults in love _._ It was basic biology, Guy pressed his palms together nervously as the thought consumed him.

"You can be more delicate about this," Ugga huffed, looking at her daughter and Guy.

Hope patted the young man on the shoulder in a calming manner. "Guy, you have to breathe. Maybe sit down over there."

"I think _I'm_ the one with only hours to live," he said, thinking of what Grug's reaction would be. Guy let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and shook his head. "No, no, I'm okay. Just… surprised." He shot a concerned glance at Eep. "Are you okay? You look ready to pass out."

"I think so," Eep managed to say once she caught her composure, reaching her palm up to tug at her hair in a nervous tick. "I um…"

Guy knew she didn't need to finish that sentence, she was nervous enough as it was. He grabbed her hand in a placating manner to stop her from accidentally pulling a clump of hair from her scalp. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, gentle. He turned to Hope, Ugga and Gran. "How long does it take the sprout to grow after…?"

"About a day," Gran answered, gesturing at the pot still held in Eep's free hand. "It's very accurate if it is positive she's pregnant."

Ugga approached her daughter to cup her cheek, a smile on her face. "Don't be so nervous just yet, sweetheart."

"I'm not nervous," she defended, dropping her eyes to the wheat seeded jar.

Hope walked closer next to rest her palm on Eep's shoulder, squeezing it. "You won't know until the wheat seed sprouts, if at all," Hope added. "Save the worrying for _after_ tomorrow."

She nodded her head and turned to face Guy. "I better go uh… you know." Guy let go of her hand, watching her leave the room.

"How are _you_ holding up, son?" Ugga asked once Eep was gone.

Guy rubbed his palms together, finding they had grown sweaty at the amount of nerves he had. "I'm happy but… I'm worried about Eep. She seemed…"

"Upset?" Hope finished.

Gran scoffed loudly, plopping to sit down in a chair nearby the kitchen table. "Upset is a fitting reaction, you get stuck with eighteen years of crying, diapers and no sleep." She jabbed her walking stick into Ugga's back, earning a glare from her daughter. "This one was fussy, and knowing who Eep's father is, I pity you." She grinned however, there was no real bite to the last few words.

"Oh please, babies aren't _all_ bad." Hope gave the old woman a scolding look before turning back to Guy. "Eep just needs a little time to adjust to this, haven't you two talked about children?"

"A bit, I mean, we expected there'd be a kid eventually just… not _this_ soon. We were always careful," he said, rubbing his neck at indulging these personal details to the women.

Gran snorted, "Careful? I'm sure you two are worse than — "

" _Mom!"_ Ugga cut her off, scowling. "Anyway… like Hope said, give Eep some time. Just be there for her, that's all she needs right now."

Guy didn't need to be told twice, inwardly bracing for the impact of what might be coming in their future. "I'll always stand by her, Ugga."

"I know you will, son. That's why I'm not worried," Ugga replied in a soft tone, looking wistful suddenly.

Guy knew this possibility was hitting Ugga just as hard as he and Eep. "Ugga, think you could keep this a secret from Grug at least until we know? I can't be there for Eep if Grug comes to kill me."

She chuckled, "Of course but Guy, I doubt Grug will do anything to you." Ugga's voice took a more serious tone, sincere and directed to pull the heartstrings. "You are Eep's mate, if you two want to start your own pack… he has to respect that. Grug knows you love her, you don't have to prove anything to him anymore."

Guy felt a wave of emotion hit him. "Y - yeah."

"He's embarrassed, how cute," Gran teased.

"Leave the poor boy alone, he needs to digest," Hope told Gran, shaking a finger at the old woman.

It wasn't long until Eep returned with the seeded jar. Gran had mixed up an old remedy for a sour stomach made from peppermint, chamomile and ginger that Eep down quickly, desperate to ease her discomfort. Eep sought a little more comfort from her mother and Hope before she tugged Guy off by the hand.

"You don't want to stay with your mom a bit longer?"

"No, I just need some fresh air and space to think."

Eep wanted them to go to their special place by their house, that sweet babbling brook surrounded by flowers she'd wanted so badly when Guy asked her to be his wife.

Eep always found the place comforting and right now with her stomach in knots, she really needed it. Guy and Eep layed down side-by-side by the water, feeling the cool droplets of mist spray their skin. Eep closed her eyes with a deep breath, feeling Guy lean against her so that were temple to temple.

Eep didn't look like she was suffering since ingesting the medicine, instead breathing calmly and no longer clutched her abdomen like it was ripping her in half. The silence seemed to stretch on forever and with the news still clawing its way through his brain, he spoke up at last.

"A baby, wow," Guy said in a stunned tone, his thumb rubbing her knuckles idly. He felt the tension that balled itself there, wound up like a bow string waiting to be plucked. He turned to look at her. "We might be having one."

Eep leaned her head against his shoulder, seeking comfort from him as she curled up into his side. "I'm scared, Guy," Eep confessed to him, ashamed when she felt a tightness in her chest and throat.

Guy understood what she was feeling, his own mind was running a mile a minute as he processed the news. They wouldn't know until tomorrow, that somehow felt super far away instead of merely a few hours. He managed to coax her hand to relax, Eep fingers unfurled like a flower so he could grasp her hand properly.

"Don't be," he said, pressing his forehead against hers. His nose brushed hers as he nuzzled himself closer, practically sharing each other's breath. Eep felt the words more so than heard them, his lips ghosting her own in a tender kiss. "We'll get through this like I promised, we survived The End of the World. I know we can survive anything."

She sighed, still nervous though she let herself relax a bit. Guy, trying to lighten the mood, gave her a smile. "Besides, _I_ should be the scared one. Your dad will let you off easy." Eep looked up at him, arching a confused brow. "Me? Grug is going to feed me to Chunky for making him a grandpa at all."

Eep rolled her eyes, trying to suppress a smile and failing. Guy just grinned wider, pleased to see some of the anxiety melting away. "I guess you do have a point there," she agreed, amused.

Guy nuzzled closer to her, wrapping his long arms around her torso. "You won't let him though, will you?"

"I dunno, it _might_ just be a little justified," she said, lifting her own arms to accommodate him. "Loving you got me into this mess."

"As if you aren't blameless," he teased, feeling Eep's lips as she lowered her head a moment to trail soft featherlight kisses down his cheek and jawline.

Eep's breath fanned his skin, sending shivers down his spine. "You've never complained before."

"I never will, that's the problem here." He was only half joking, gently brushing his knuckles against her toned stomach. If the news turned out to be true… it awed him thinking about it, the fact he had a hand in creating _this._ Life was truly humbling and beautiful in its mysterious ways.

She stilled, breath hitching a little. It seemed her thoughts weren't that far off from his.

"I've been alone for so long since I lost my family," he said, remembering his mother and father. It'd been so long that it was hard to remember the exact details of their faces, it was their comforting presence and love he could recall in vivid detail still. "And now _we_ might become our own family, you're giving me something I could only have in my wildest dreams, Eep."

Eep leaned her head against his shoulder, wistful. " _You_ were my wildest dream," she began. "It's crazy to think how far we've come."

"Our Tomorrow is going to get way more interesting, we'll never sleep again," he said with a chuckle, giddy and nervous.

"Why? You really think our kid is going to be _that_ bad?" Eep pulled away to lean her weight on her elbow, looking down at his face fondly.

"Oh come on, babe. Have you forgotten about all the trouble we've gotten into?" Guy grinned. "I think we shortened dad's lifespan by a good few years."

"Dad is dad, he overblows everything," Eep defended.

"I don't know, last week was pretty awful."

"Okay so _maybe_ hang gliding on that turtledove and dropping into the river was a bit… much." Eep let him have that win, knowing Grug had practically had a stroke seeing that.

Guy had been pretty fussy too but Dawn thought it was so cool. They'd been ready to pull that stunt again until Phil and Grug nearly fainted from the sight.

"And then there was the incident with the jornets," Guy replied, trying to suppress his widening grin as he remembered running full tilt away from the swarm of angry half cat, half hornet beasts.

If it wasn't for Eep's speed and ferocity, he knew he would have come home with enough stings and bites to make Dawn's sting look tame in comparison.

"That was _your_ idea, Guy. You wanted wax for that stupid whatever."

" _Candle,"_ he corrected her, now sitting up as well.

"Torches are just as good for portable fire," Eep said.

"Yeah but they burn so fast after a while," Guy insisted.

"You never even made a candle though!" Eep pointed a finger at him, accusing.

"I wanted to test the theory of it!" He broke into a guilty laugh at the sour puss face she pulled.

"Next time you can just ask the punch monkeys to go with you then."

"It's more fun with you. You love adventure." Guy felt himself get pushed down by Eep. She looked at him from where she had him pinned under her weight, Eep pouted.

"I also _love_ you and not possibly losing you to something so stupid," Eep told him, leaning down to press her forehead against his.

Guy held her loosely by the waist, relishing in her warmth and breath as it fanned across his skin. "You won't lose me," he replied, gentle.

"Speaking of adventure, I guess this one might be our biggest one yet, huh?" She let out a nervous grin.

"I love adventure," he said in that fond voice.

"We're really doing this," she murmured, still pressed close to him. Her heart skipped a bit as she conjured up an image of a bouncing baby with her red hair and his dark eyes. Those same eyes stared back at her.

"Yeah… I hope it has your eyes, they're beautiful."

"I was just thinking that but with yours," Eep replied, smiling down at him.

"You'll be a great mom, Eep," Guy told her, not missing a beat as he idly touched her face.

Eep scoffed with a laugh, "Maybe."

"Look, you haven't killed Sandy or Thunk yet, I think it's a great start." His grin was toothy.

Eep pushed against his shoulder. "You're terrible!"

He only laughed, reaching across her cheek to boop her on the nose.

They shared a quiet moment together, feeling the warm evening breeze tickle their skin and listening to the calming rumble of the brook as it babbled. This was their life and hopefully it would stay this way for as long as they were together. Eep and Guy felt the ground shaking beneath them. They looked away from one another and saw the large multi colored plumage form that was Chunky. Perched on his shoulders, Dawn was whooping loudly. She grinned.

"Hey, you look much better than earlier, Eep." Dawn leaned forward on Chunky's head to get a good look at Eep.

Eep smiled, getting to her feet with a leisure stretch. "Mom and Gran gave me something for my stomach, wish I'd asked them sooner." She knew it wasn't just the herbal medicine that had fixed her mood, her eyes lingering on Guy who smiled fondly up at her.

"So… what's the verdict? Are you _really_ dying?" Dawn cocked her head.

"No, if anything my life might be getting more exciting soon instead of shorter," she quipped, a knowing smile on her face.

"Oh?"

"It's a surprise." Eep glanced down at her belly a moment, feeling a rush of a foreign kind of affection swell in her heart. She lifted her gaze back to Dawn who stared at the two of them, oblivious but curious.

"I know you guys hate when we all barge in on your babbling butter brooking buttttt…" Dawn merrily dragged the words out with a wink. "I thought you of all people know how to appreciate a good joy ride, that is if you're feeling up to it. It's not nearly as fun alone."

Eep didn't need to be told twice and with her stomach more settled and mood much brighter, she swung herself up behind Dawn. Both girls clapped their palms together before gazing expectantly at Guy.

Guy reached his arms up for Eep and Dawn to haul him onto Chunky. "Let's do it! Yeah!" Each young woman grabbed a fore arm and pulled until Guy scrambled to situate himself behind Eep.

An all too familiar purring reached his ears as Belt returned to his favorite spot around Guy's waist. Guy scratched him behind the ears.

_"Brrr?"_

"I'll tell you all about it later, Belt."

_"Brrr, raah?"_

"Joy ride!" Dawn and Eep whooped, Guy lurched and hurriedly wrapped his arms around Eep's waist.

It would certainly be a ride, he thought through the rush of adrenaline.

* * *

The next morning came sooner than they both expected, having thought how big the news would be would have made time chug to an unbearable pace. Eep felt at peace strangely when she woke up, for once not feeling like a grumpy slothbear. Guy hadn't gotten up yet, still in his slumber with his arm thrown loosely over her waist. She admired him for a while, he was her reminder why she wasn't afraid.

They'd talked some more that night about the future, their Tomorrow. She found herself getting excited the more she let the thought stew, there was a tingle to her skin. It reminded her of lightning before it struck when the air was filled with static.

" _Boy or girl?"_ Eep had asked him, tracing patterns on his bicep.

" _I'd be happy with either or… I wouldn't mind a little girl though, one who's just like you."_ Guy shot her a fond look, brushing his nose with hers.

" _ **Just**_ _like me? What happened to me being a handful?"_

" _You have spunk, I like spunk."_

" _Is spunk just a nicer way of putting it?"_ She teased him, shoving his face away when he tried leaning in for a kiss.

She heard the caw of a chickenseal outside and no longer able to contain herself, began to slowly wiggle herself out of bed. Eep ducked under his arm in a carefully slow roll. It was a feat, Guy was usually a pretty light sleeper. Guy mumbled his protest at her warm body being gone, still half asleep as he migrated to her side of it to seek whatever warmth he could soak in that was lost. Eep padded about as quietly as she could, throwing on her tiger pelt dress before retreating to the patio.

Bleary eyed on his perch near the doorway was Belt, who rubbed at his face with a large paw when he heard Eep come outside. "Oh, sorry Belt. Did I wake you?"

Belt gave a purring sound that seemed to be a reassurance that it was no big deal, the sloth lazily stretching his limbs out. He clambered down when Eep offered him her arm, wrapping his long arms around her bicep to hang comfortably.

"I couldn't sleep anymore," she admitted, knowing Belt would always offer an ear to listen to anyone's woes.

Belt cooed curiously.

"Did Guy tell you about it yet?" He nodded his little head, blue intelligent eyes staring up at her. Eep took a seat on the chair, leaning back to make herself more comfortable. "I'm a bundle of nerves, like literally. I know nothing is final but I feel like I'm about to blow up."

He pawed her hand in a concerned fashion, Eep grabbing it with her fingers. "Was Guy this nervous? He's handling it so well, I'm almost jealous." Belt made a comical face at her, dramatically throwing his head back with a distinct laugh. "Really?"

It made her smile. Belt beamed at her, reassuring her with a purr. Eep ran her fingers through his soft fur, counting the strokes as she watched the sun rise over the farm. Belt slumped into a cozy ball on her lap, feeling satisfied he had helped Eep feel more reassured.

She heard Guy's voice call out for her, Eep calling right back, "I'm on the patio, babe!"

Guy wasn't dressed yet, still wearing the baggy blue pants the Bettermans usually wore around the farm. He had a cute case of bed head and his signiture ponytail was missing. He yawned noisily and meandered towards her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. Eep relished in his affection, humming.

"How are you feeling?" Guy asked her, crouching down next to the chair. He idly reached his hand out to stroke Belt's plush red fur.

"Much better, Gran's herbal remedy really did the trick," Eep told him.

"That's good," he murmured, a sleepy smile on his face. He looked at Belt.

"He's a good listener," she said with a smile. Belt rumbled at her praise as he blinked up at her.

"Oh? What did you two talk about?" Guy asked.

"A bit of everything… are you nervous?" Eep could see the early morning sunlight glinting in his eyes, making his almond gaze blaze gold.

"Belt told you, didn't he?" Guy gave his pet a playfully stern look, Belt only blew a raspberry. He looked back up at Eep and shuffled his weight a little as his knees threatened to stiffen.

Eep got to her feet a moment and gestured to the chair, letting Guy take her spot. Guy patted his lap after and Eep didn't hesitate to curl up comfortably there. It was comforting and familiar, Guy running his hands through her hair. Belt took to the warm spot between them, Eep careful not to accidentally crush him.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," Guy relented, resting his chin on her shoulder. Eep pressed her face against his collarbone, safe and snug. "But I'm also excited, I've never felt like this before. It's new."

Eep knew new could mean a multitude of things and she lifted her face to look at him. "Good new or bad new?"

"Good, definitely good." Guy gazed at her affectionately, cupping her face in his hands. Guy gently leaned forward to catch her lips with his in a languid kiss, something soft and meant to soothe.

Her body was warm and supple against him, making his heart skip a beat as he tilted her head back to deepen the kiss. She snuggled closer into his chest and gently nipped at his lower lip. Eep pressed her palms against his shoulders, he wasn't corded in muscle but instead they layed flat on his wry frame. He hummed in response, Eep feeling the soft flicker of his tongue—

"Oooh ~ " Belt teased, causing Guy to pull away from her to give him a mock glare.

Eep blushed, realizing she'd nearly forgotten he was still there. Guy brushed aside a forelock of Eep's hair that had come loose during their little lip lock. He scoffed at Belt. "Very funny," Guy said.

Belt just chortled.

The moment wasn't exactly broken, instead the couple soaked in the sheer intimacy that was just being together. Guy and Eep watched the sun rise higher and higher over the hills and above the trees. It made the waterfall by their house look as if it were made of liquid gold, like honey. Eep gazed towards the Betterman's treehouse that stood silhouetted against the heavy orange hues of morning. She felt Guy trace patterns into the small of her back, his finger trailing along the familiar pathway of a certain large scar.

"Mom said if we don't swing by she's going to call us on her shell," Eep said, saying it just so the silence didn't feel as suffocating rather than to tell Guy.

"You want to head over there soon?" Guy asked.

"Yes and no," she murmured, head nestled under his chin. "We'll find out eventually, I just want to be with you some more."

Guy tightened his arms around her, breathing in her scent as they continued to watch morning descend on their home in comfortable silence.

* * *

"Eep, are you _sure_ you don't want me in there with you?" Guy was holding her small hand in between both his palms, holding it close to his chest.

"I'm sure. I just… I feel like this is something I need to find out about alone." Eep hoped he wouldn't feel upset by this, it would be his baby and a huge change in his life just as much as hers.

Guy glanced between her green eyes and towards the tree, having heard the conch shell signifying Ugga was waiting for them. "Okay, if that's what you really want." He squeezed her fingers reassuringly.

Eep leaned up to kiss him softly on the cheek before turning away, feeling his fingers hold hers until she was too far out of reach. He dropped his hand to his side, knowing all there was left to do was wait.

"Belt?" Guy said once she was gone.

Belt cooed an inquiry back.

"I think I might faint a little, keep those cold rocks ready, will you?"

There was a whoosh of laughter as the sloth threw his head back, crawling up to give his favorite person a reassuring nuzzle.

* * *

Eep saw her mother was the only one in the room. She'd been expecting Hope and Gran to be here as well.

Ugga, seeming to read her mind, spoke, "I thought you'd feel better if it was just us girls here," Ugga told her.

Eep nodded her head, smiling a bit shyly. She dragged her toe along the floor just to distract herself. "Yeah, I think so too, mom."

Ugga smiled at her. "So… are you ready?"

"Honestly? Probably not," she confessed with a rush of breath that sounded something like a laugh.

"I see you made Guy wait outside," her mother noted, walking towards the windowsill. A few other potted plants were there, making it hard for Eep to tell which one was hers.

"I just wanted you here for this," Eep told her, feeling small. "You're my mom, it's different than having Guy with me. Is that selfish?"

Eep saw her mother's gentle eyes staring back at her. "No, it's not selfish." Her hands were behind her back, hiding the plant from sight.

Eep attempted to look around her, craning her neck and balancing on the tips of her toes.

Ugga chuckled, shaking her head before speaking. "Close your eyes, Eep."

"Okay…" Eep furrowed her brow in confusion before closing her eyes tight, resisting the urge to peek.

"Now, give me your hand." Ugga told her softly.

She felt her breath stutter and catch despite steeling her nerves. She held her hand out, feeling something heavy and made of clay in the center of her palm. Eep curled her fingers around the pot.

"Okay, now you can look," Ugga said in that gentle and patient voice of hers.

Eep peeked an eye open slowly, her vision blurry until she finally gave it a proper look. She realized she'd stopped breathing awhile ago and let it out in a long _whoosh._ Her heart skipped a beat.

There was nothing but soil, not a single sprout breached through.

"Mom…?"

She was surprised by the amount of sheer disappointment that washed over her at the sight. None of the wheat seeds had sprouted. "You probably had the flu," Ugga told her and took it from her hands when she noticed Eep was holding the pot tightly. Her body shook a little. She put the pot back on the windowsill. Her gray eyes sifted back towards her daughter and she frowned at the unsure emotion crossing her face. "I thought you'd be relieved, you were so nervous last night."

Eep straightened up, realizing she'd slouched her shoulders. "I am but… me and Guy were talking a bit, you know, to get used to the idea." She remembered the eager glint in his eyes after adjusting to the initial surprise, his words had reassured her uncertainty of the future. They were young, after all. "And just…"

Ugga gave an understanding smile, reaching forward to gently hold her chin as she made Eep look at her. "When the time is right, you'll know, Eep. Now isn't it, you and Guy are still young, there's plenty of Tomorrow to enjoy."

Her mother was right, Eep nodding her head before throwing herself into Ugga's arms. Ugga hugged her daughter tight, brushing a hand through her wild red hair. Whenever things got shaky and unsure, she knew she could always find comfort in Ugga's hugs. Moms made everything better. "I better go tell Guy. I hope he's not too disappointed."

"That boy faced The End for you, honey. You and him fought hard for each other, he'll support you no matter what," Ugga assured her, letting her daughter go not for the first time. "Now go, I think Guy is going to wear a hole into the floorboards."

Eep smiled at the thought, letting it humor her as she felt herself relax. She reached for Ugga one last time, her mother holding her hands tightly in hers. She pulled away at last and made her way out the door.

* * *

Guy hurried towards her, nearly stumbling over himself once he caught sight of Eep leaving the room. He tried to not seem too eager, knowing whatever the result was would probably send him into cardiac arrest. He grabbed her by the shoulders, keeping his grip gentle even if very little could hurt her. "Well?"

Eep took in a deep breath, knowing it was silly to feel skittish about telling him. He was her mate, she reminded herself. "The wheat didn't sprout," she told him. "I'm not pregnant."

He felt a pang like no other strike him, he knew Eep had seen it on his face for she reached towards him for a hug. Guy embraced her tightly, pressing his face into the curve of her neck.

"Are you disappointed?" Eep asked him once she leaned back a little from their hug.

Guy smiled at her. "A little but I think it was a good lesson for us. Something we needed to happen."

"I'd like a family with you just… I want it to just be us for a little while."

"I understand. Eep, I'd _never_ force something like that on you. I want both of us to want it. I want you to know that."

Eep couldn't help getting a little misty eyed though she smiled as she brushed the tears aside. She was a mixture of emotions; sad, relieved and everything in between. Guy reached for her hand once they separated, his dark eyes gentle.

"Someday, right?"

"Yeah," she agreed.

He leaned his head against hers. "So there's no need to be sad, Eep."

Eep only nuzzled further against him.

Suddenly, a loud voice broke the moment. "Guys! I got great news!" Dawn yelled as she ran across the bridge to meet up with them, beaming. She panted, bending over with her hands on her knees before she straightened up. Sash hung around her neck and chest as usual though something seemed different about her with how she held herself.

Belt crawled up from Guy's waist to perch himself on his shoulders, reaching out with a happy rumble at the sight of his mate.

" _Ooh la la,"_ she greeted.

" _Ah ha ha!"_ Belt cooed back.

"What is it, Dawn?" Eep asked, eyes wide and curious.

"Sash's pregnant!"

He felt Belt slump in shock down his back, sliding with a shocked little squeak. Guy grinned widely, side eying Eep who was trying hard not to laugh at the ironic timing of it all. "Dun, dun, dun!" Guy made a dramatic gesture with his hands, turning to eye his little friend.

Dawn blinked. "What's so funny?"

"I'll tell you all about it, Dawn. First, let's go celebrate, it's not everyday you find out you're going to be a parent, huh Belt?" Eep turned to the sloth who loosely clung back to Guy's waist for support.

The only response was a muted little coo.


	4. Joyride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Finally got around to adding another chapter to this, it takes place a little bit after "Their Own Pack" ~

* * *

He'd wanted to take her out on a picnic, just the two of them. Guy had called it a date on the fly when she asked for details in that wide eyed eager way that was just entirely Eep. She loved new things and his ideas, which made him both preen in pride and blush at her admiration. She put him on a high pedestal he didn't feel he really deserved. 

Hope helped him put together a basket, excitedly pointing at the contents in it. “It has fruit, sandwiches, egg salad and look, it even has a neck pillow.” She put it over Guy’s neck as if to add to the point, grinning as he idly adjusted it. “I also put some fermented shark milk but you two better drink responsibly,” Hope added sternly, giving him the signature mom look.

He put the pillow back in the basket, smiling at her as he reassured her, “Don’t worry, Mrs. Betterman. I know, um… _better_.”

“I know you do but _Eep_ doesn't know her limits,” Hope told him, though there was no rudeness in the words, if anything they were fond. “Least she has the higher tolerance between you two.”

Guy flushed, huffing at the memory from the last time he had a proper drink. “Look, I’m sorry what I did to Mr. Betterman’s roses but - “

“They're just roses, Guy,” she said flatly. “Get going,” Hope interrupted him before he could say anything more, shoving the basket into his arms as he stumbled to hold it without fumbling. “You’re wasting daylight talking to me when you can be with Eep, now shoo!” She pushed against his shoulders, ushering him out of the kitchen as Guy found his footing before he could trip on the threshold.

“Okay, okay! Thank you, Mrs. Betterman.”

“Remember curfew! You know the rules, you're a big boy now. I just don’t want Grug making me lose my godchild,” she told him in a matter of fact voice, slamming the door shut once he was out the doorway. She didn't give him room to talk, typical for the Betterman matriarch. He felt the wicker door push into his back.

He shook his head with a sigh, still adjusting to having so many people worry about him like this. After practically raising himself, having parental figures like Grug, Ugga and the Bettermans there, it was quite a different lifestyle than he was used to. It was still appreciated though, felt kind of nice even, least when Grug didn’t want to ‘chill his ass’. Guy was also a grown man now yet he had a feeling that his foster family didn't see him and Eep that way still.

Grug was much kinder and open than he was before Guy's marriage to Eep but he knew that protective instinct would never go away when it came to his eldest girl. So Guy tried at least to make an effort to not make his father-in-law unnecessarily fret, Grug was pretty talented at that. 

However, Guy still wanted privacy with his wife and thankfully Grug let him have that now. It was a relief to be on the same level of understanding at last. Even if Grug still sometimes poked his nose where it didn't really belong.

Guy's ears burned in embarrassment over that night where Grug had been concerned Eep was being attacked by an animal and barged right in through the wall. Guy decided to invent 'the lock' after that for the door. He then meticulously instructed Grug _why_ doors and knocking first existed to begin with yet again for what felt like the millionth time. It'd been absolutely mortifying for all parties involved. 

It would be nice to just get away from the farm and everyone in it for a day. He walked across the many bridges and rooms interconnected across the tree until he reached his side of the waterfall. He eyed the other house across from theirs where Grug and Ugga stayed, only a short walk away. They didn’t seem to be around, probably somewhere else on the farm helping in the fields or relaxing. He kept walking, hurrying as he got closer to the home he and Eep shared together.

Guy made it back to their house with the basket, calling out as he opened the door. “Babe, you here?”

“Yeah, patio, Guy!” He heard her call from outside the back of the hut. 

Guy put the basket on the countertop and headed towards the patio, peeking his head out to see Dawn was there with her. Belt and Sash were hanging out on the perch, looking even worse in puppy love than he and Eep were. He couldn’t really blame the sloths though, he knew Sash had little ones due later in the year. Belt had clung tighter to her than he ever did to Guy’s waist, inseparable.

His longtime companion still waved a long clawed paw at him, cooing a greeting as Guy offered Belt a treat he’d snuck out of the basket. Belt promptly shared it with Sash, munching on the hearty slice of melon.

Dawn grinned from where she was seated, a flower crown in her hands. Eep had a matching one though it looked rougher and less refined. “Hey Guy, about time you came back.”

“I was kinda busy helping Mrs. Betterman get the picnic basket ready,” Guy told her, sighing with an exaggerated gusto. “She sure loves to over prep.”

“Why do you think we have a panic cubby at all?” Dawn grinned. “Mom loves to expect the unexpected.”

Eep made a gesture towards herself, pointing at her lips before Guy rolled his eyes fondly and leaned down to kiss her. Eep cupped his cheek as Dawn pretended to make a disgusted face at the mushy exchange.

“Um, hello? I’m right here, you two.”

Eep threw her unfinished flower crown at her head, managing to catch it halfway as it covered one Dawn’s green eyes. “You can just look away, you know,” she teased once she broke away from Guy.

“You guys are _so_ cute when you sweet babble brook together,” she teased back, making a kissy face and causing Guy to pout at the razzing. Who needed an actual little sister when he had one in Dawn to fulfil the role? She did it quite well as she leaned back to avoid a playful punch on the shoulder from Eep. 

“Haha,” Guy huffed without any real annoyance, hands on his hips. “Anyway, you ready to go, Eep?”

“Hang on, I need to finish this,” Eep exclaimed, snatching her flower crown back to try adding a few more flowers to the leafy chainlink. She gave a frustrated huff when the knots fell apart on the stems. Idly, she side-eyed Guy. “So, where are we going anyway?”

“Somewhere really cool,” Guy only said, grinning ear-to-ear as he watched her. Keen interest shined in her eyes before she got distracted by daisy chaining the flowers back together, realizing she’d slacked off in her lack of focus.

Dawn egged him, curious. “Oh?”

“That’s for me to know and for Eep to find out,” Guy quipped, winking. He heard Belt give a knowing kind of chirrup, making Guy scold him. “Hey! Don’t spoil it, or I’ll tell Sash about the _you know what,_ Belt.”

The sloth gave an appalled sound as Sash began to coo curiously, making Belt try diverting her with a series of chitters. His blue eyes narrowed accusingly at Guy who just raised his hands innocently, turning back to the two ladies busy with flowers. Thankfully, Eep was too distracted by the task at hand to really pay attention to his exchange with Belt.

“You should ask dad to show you how to tie a knot, he’s really good at that. Way better than me,” Dawn mused, shaking her head. “You need to do it like this,” she explained anyway, showing Eep as she made another crown.

Eep attempted to copy her, fingers deftly threading the stems. Her upper teeth dug into her lower lip in concentration, a cute little habit Guy noticed whenever she was really into whatever she was doing. It fell apart again and frustrated she huffed, eying Dawn.

“This is impossible!”

“Nothing is impossible,” Dawn replied, amused. “You just need more practice, it took Guy forever to make a good flower crown.”

Eep turned to her husband with keen interest shining in those green eyes of hers. “You can make flower crowns?”

“Well, sort of,” he shrugged, smiling modestly at how awed she looked over something so mundane. Everything was new and exciting to her, it really awed and amused him all at once sometimes. “Dawn taught me when we were kids, she was demanding I make her some,” Guy added fondly, giving her a mock glower. 

“Hey, your crowns were always so much more prettier than mine,” Dawn shot back. “Why not pack some flowers from your garden, Eep? Maybe Guy could show you on your date.”

Eep beamed and practically bounced to her feet, flower crown in hand. “Could you?”

He never could say no to those crocopup eyes, Guy chuckling, “Sure, I got the picnic basket on the table, I’m sure some flowers can fit in there if we move some stuff around.”

Eep picked up Dawn like she weighed nothing, which probably wasn’t an understatement with Eep’s superman strength. “Help me pick some good ones.” Throwing Dawn over her broad shoulder, Eep began to climb her way down the patio rather than take the door, no surprise there.

“See you later, I guess,” Guy called as Dawn waved him off, vanishing with Eep down the tree. Once upon a time ago he would have been baffled by Eep’s strange habits but that was yesterday's stuff, now it just made him fond and amused. He picked up the leftover flowers and crowns to bring with them, chuckling. “Oh Eep, just what am I going to do with you?”

* * *

Basket packed to the brim with flowers, at last the two of them made their trip outside the farm. They borrowed Chunky, well, more like _borrowed_ borrowed. 

“He won’t mind, it’ll be fine,” Eep reassured him when Guy asked if Grug was going to be upset that they took his ‘ride’. 

Chunky was happy with the exercise at least, strong muscles rippling under his beautiful multi colored feathered coat. Eep was driving, Chunky didn’t really listen to anyone else besides Grug and his daughter. Guy wrapped his arms around his wife’s torso, the basket carefully tied to a harness the Bettermans had invented for the beast. It would make travel easier when you had something proper to sit on and attach your belongings to..

“So, where _is_ this cool place?” Eep inquired about halfway through their trip, casting Guy a curious look as he grinned coyly. 

“It’s a surprise,” he only said, winking.

“If you tell me, I’ll still act surprised,” she insisted, grinning at him.

“Hey,” Guy started, retracting an arm so he could turn her head back forward. “Eyes on the path, will you? Also, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore if I told you, babe.”

Eep just slouched her shoulders, pouting as Guy leaned forward to press a kiss behind her neck like a peace offering. She huffed at him, not turning to look at him when he nuzzled her muscular shoulder, arms squeezing her waist. “And _you_ are the one teling _me_ to not get distracted driving,” she accused him, feeling his smile against her skin.

“Guilty as charged,” he chuckled, shameless as he leaned back. They continued to ride Chunky through the jungle a bit longer before Guy knew it, the lush foliage was peeling away into a mossy clearing. There were rocks and some viney flowers curled about the bellies of trees and large stones. His dark eyes looked around, realizing they were finally close to where they were supposed to be for their date. “Slow Chunky down, we’re almost there.”

Eep pulled on his fur and Chunky slowed into a meandering trot, grunting with typical feline sass as the mawcarnivore did so. She patted him on the head and all was forgiven at his merry chuff. “So… where is _there?”_ Eep asked.

Guy tapped her playfully on the nose like he was scolding Douglas for snatching food off his plate. Eep made a face and went to nip his finger in protest. “You’ll see, patience, Eep.” He grinned at the sourpuss face she made.

“This place better be amazing or all this hype will be really underwhelming if it isn’t,” Eep remarked in a grumble, twisting around on Chunky to properly glower at him. 

Guy took the opportunity to gently press his lips to hers, kissing the frown away when she without a thought leaned into him. He held her face in between his hands, stroking her soft cheeks with his thumb. After trading a series of sweet and soft little kisses, he drew back, happy to see she was no longer brooding at him. Instead she was dreamy eyed and as if in a trance, didn’t think much more when Guy told her turn left.

Guy lightly pushed her behind him, taking position in front on Chunky's back. The deathcat gave a soft growl at the change in riders, Guy leaning down to look him in the eye. "Just this once, Chunky. Please?" Guy whispered and Chunky's eyes narrowed into slits at him. Guy sighed, "I'll catch you a sausage fish if you do this for me."

At the mention of his favorite food had Chunky licking his chops noisily before relaxing his body to let Guy lead him where he wanted Chunky to go. Eep looked surprised at this obedience. 

"What in the world did you do to Chunky?" She asked him.

Guy scratched the macawnivore between the ears. "Can't Chunky just like me?"

Eep just arched an eyebrow at him before bending down to try looking Chunky in the eye. "Chunky?"

He twitched an ear and just chuffed cheerfully, batting his amber eyes innocently as he lumbered along. Eep leaned back in her seat, shaking her wild mane of hair. 

Guy saw the makeshift check point he'd left, a flag made of animal hide. He turned to face Eep. "Close your eyes." Eep did so but tried to peek between her fingers, causing Guy to scold her. "Hey!"

"Hey what?"

"This is a 'please listen to me' hey," Guy huffed and Eep giggled at his tone, not able to take him seriously. She complied though this time, hands tightly pressed against her eyes.

Satisfied, Guy grinned and kicked his feet into Chunky's ribs and tugged on his fur to urge him onward. "Hold on tight!" Guy called and Eep yelped as her body lurched forward into his back. She hugged him around the stomach, her warm weight pressed against him. Chunky loped along at full tilt speed, the wind whooshing across Guy's skin and hair.

The cat ran quickly and soon the clearing gave way to a massive sloping valley filled with tall, lush green grass. The wild flowers spread out in clusters all over the meadow swayed in the afternoon breeze, every single one was a shade of beautiful colors that Guy hadn’t known could exist. The blue sky and its fluffy white clouds only accented all its natural beauty. The sun brandished the grass golden and it shined almost. Guy guided Chunky towards a particular spot in the plains and the shrubbery speckled in tiny blossoms exploded with butterflies. 

"Now you can look!" Guy shouted, turning to try and see Eep’s reaction. He couldn’t keep the toothy grin off his face, exhilarated.

When she opened her eyes, she gasped at the perfectly planned sight Guy had prepared for her. The sky was full of butterflies that flew past them in the hundreds, perhaps even thousands, Eep could hardly count on one hand. Her neck bent back as far as it could go so she look up at the butterflies. She could see each blade of grass practically glow under the sunlight as they danced in the wind. The petals of flowers scattered around as Chunky ran through the meadow, making everything combine into a flurry of beautiful colors and sight. Her awed expression stirred nostalgia in him, taking him back to when he first got to show her what a world without caves was like. 

"How did you even find this place?" Eep asked, jaw dropping. She felt Chunky's body lurched as he pounced over a babbling brook, the sun reflecting off the water. "I didn't even know this was here!"

Guy managed to pick a flower, boldly reaching down as he clung to Chunky's broad neck. He got back up, pulling himself with Eep’s help when she reached after him. He presented her with the lily, it was bright orange and tinged in black stripes. It matched her fiery mane of hair.

"Let's just say I'm _really_ good at setting the mood," he quipped coyly, passing Eep the flower and she fiddled with its petals in child-like glee. "Was it worth the wait?"

" _Yes!"_ Eep exclaimed, putting the flower in her hair after giving it a curious sniff, it smelled sweet like honey. "It's so beautiful here," she added with a blissful sigh and smile. "Thank you," she added, almost shyly.

Guy puffed up in pride, turning back to properly guiding Chunky in their joyride. "I'm glad," he said, feeling a flush stain his neck when Eep nuzzled her nose against his skin. "What happened to not distracting each other when driving?"

"Chunky has cruise control, it's fine," Eep told him, wrapping her arms tighter around his torso. 

She idly ran a calloused palm across his toned stomach and up his chest, Guy sitting up a little at her unexpected touch. He knew his heart had skipped a beat, there were more butterflies fluttering than just in the sky. Guy would have thought after being together so long they would stop, if anything they'd grown stronger by the day.

Guy cast Chunky a look and the deathcat chortled in a cheeky fashion, tail swinging behind him like a banner. He then focused back on the meadow, continuing to leap and bound through tall grass and flowers. He decided to trust Chunky, hoping the cat was as good a wingman as he was a mount. 

Guy leaned back against Eep’s chest, turning to fondly trace his nose against the bottom of her throat and chin. Eep hummed in contentment at the affectionate gesture, Guy lifted one of her hands off his belly to gently kiss her knuckles and each of her small fingers. He turned her palm to his lips after. Guy tenderly kissed every scar and callous he could find there, lavishing them in admiration of her strength that awed him.

She pressed another little kiss against his neck in response before peppering his shoulder and collar bone with more kisses. Guy sighed, relaxed and cozy in the strong embrace of his mate. He relinquished her hand so she could hold him more securely. Eep rested her chin on his shoulder, staring ahead as Chunky continued running. Guy followed her eyes. They just soaked in the picturesque scene, the valley making the sky look even higher. 

"Ready to sit down and eat?" Guy asked her after a while, drinking in the sights of the hillside. With comedic timing, her stomach rumbled and Guy felt it against his back, making him mask a laugh into her bicep. "I'll take that as a yes."

Eep huffed sheepishly, "I skipped breakfast, okay?"

"No wonder you were grumpier than usual this morning," Guy teased, rousing Eep in the early hours of dawn was about as wise as awakening a slumbering owlbear in the daytime. "Well, can't keep my tiger waiting any longer then."

He lightly kicked his heels against Chunky's torso, signaling him to slow down. The colorful feline was panting and huffing, catching his breath a little after such a workout. He had endurance Guy envied, the animal strong and agile. Guy found a good spot to set up the picnic amongst a cluster of shorter grass surrounded by flowers and dismounted. Always the romantic gentleman, he reached up to help Eep down but promptly buckled under her weight soon after once she'd dropped into his awaiting arms.

"You're still really heavy," he gasped, splayed out like a starfish on the ground. "You're like a rock."

Eep swooned at his words as she got off him, "Thank you." She flexed her muscles, solid and built strong as a tree. Eep took pride in her strength.

Chunky looked at the pair with laughing gooden eyes, whiskers twitching. Eep ended up needing to help Guy, picking him up like a bride before effortlessly standing him back on his own two legs. Eep brushed the strands of grass and patches of dirt off his hair, body and pants.

She cupped his face fondly after, patting both his cheeks in a playful manner. "It's the thought that counts, babe." Eep kissed his nose and drew back, smirking.

Guy reached into the basket to pull out one of the sandwiches, offering it to Chunky who eagerly munched it up in a single gulp. The cat ran a large sandpapery tongue that went down most of Guy's body, making him pinwheel his arms to avoid falling again at the force of the thankful gesture. Guy caught his balance though. He just clumsily patted his muzzle after, half out of affection for the family pet and half just to have something to steady himself with. 

"Uh, you're welcome, Chunky. Why don't you go have a drink at the stream and relax?" He told him, giving the cat another pat on his flank this time as he began to pull away to go help Eep set up the picnic. 

Eep nodded, "Yeah, Chunky. Go on, we're gonna be awhile anyway." She began to spread out the blanket dyed in that trademarked Betterman blue, it had little golden intricate floral patterns threaded along its seams.

The cat leisurely stretched his lanky body with a loud grunt at the burn in his muscles. Chunky, giving his people one last look, trotted off to go spend his own alone time in the meadow. He was hard to miss though, even at the distance. He had a drink before promptly settling down to sunbathe, rolling onto his back to expose his soft belly to the sky.

Guy chuckled at the sight. "Someone looks cozy."

Eep cranned her neck from where she was crouched on all fours. "Heh, yeah." She looked at the basket and with Guy’s help, spread out the food onto the ground. They were packed in carefully wrapped bundles and containers. She eyed the pitcher of fermented shark milk. "Mrs. Betterman actually let you bring some?"

"Yeah but I promised her we wouldn't overdo it," he replied, grinning. "We also got a waterskin though."

"What good is water anymore when we got _that_ instead?" Eep asked, grinning ear-to-ear as she reached for the pitcher.

Guy lifted it above her head, he was taller than her so Eep pouted at him. He just arched a brow at her, amused. "Hey now, you have to at least finish some of the food first before ruining your liver."

Eep rolled her eyes with a huff, plopping down to sit cross legged on the blanket. Guy followed suit, getting comfortable from across her. He looked at all the food after setting the pitcher a safe distance from his wife’s eager reach. 

"So, guess we dig in," he remarked, grabbing for a sandwich. He passed another one to Eep who didn't hesitate to take one big enthusiastic bite. "You're going to choke at that rate," Guy teased, chewing daintily with his share.

"Don't care, hungry," she said in between bites, enjoying the food. Eep practically shoved the entire thing down her gullet. 

Eep always ate like every meal would be her last, Guy realized it was probably a survival habit at this point, since at the time it _had_ been an unfortunate truth of the matter. She'd grown up starving mostly all her life, Guy remembered how surprised he had been when the girl hadn't known what leftovers were. Guy was no stranger to starvation either but he doubted he ever experienced it on a scale like Eep had growing up. The last time he was ever that hungry was before they stumbled into the Betterman Farm. 

Now here she was able to enjoy each meal without needing to fight others for scraps. Guy was glad in general those harder survival days in the wild were past them now, this was living. 

"Mrs. Betterman really outdid herself," Eep remarked, taking a moment to actually savor her food as she watched Guy's slower pace, mimicking him. She was on her third sandwich by now and at last took the time to just enjoy more than being full.

"Yeah, she makes this great spicy jam sauce for them, goes great with the produce," Guy agreed in-between bites. "She used to make it a lot when I was a kid, it was harder to come by though. She didn't really farm much back then."

"I bet you were a picky eater," she teased him.

Guy huffed, "I was until I learned how hard food was to find."

Eep was moving onto her next share of the picnic being some of the egg salad. Guy reached to offer her a fork but Eep being Eep just tipped the bowl to her mouth. Guy just gave her a napkin after. 

"I could eat anything," Eep remarked, lowering the bowl and having the manners to at least wipe her face. "Raw eggs, scorpion, bugs, bones, turtledove shells…" The list went on and on of oddities someone like the Bettermans would turn their noses up at. 

But when you were hungry everything possibly edible sounded good. Guy vividly remembered the scorpion incident with clarity even after nearly three years. At last he finished his sandwich and grabbed his own bowl of the egg salad, using a fork to scoop it into his mouth. 

"Did you like eating that stuff?" Guy asked, he knew he hadn't been a fan but food was food, journeying with the Croods had been harder to keep more people besides just him and Belt fed. 

"Kind of, I mean the scorpion was pretty good," Eep replied thoughtfully. 

"The turkeyfish was _much_ better," Guy replied with a secretive smile that made Eep grin coyly back at him.

"Oh definitely," she agreed, shuffling her way over so she could press into his side. Guy had to adjust his elbow to accommodate her so he could still eat his lunch. "I always liked hunting with you. We should do that for our next date."

Guy chuckled, it was such an Eep thing to want to do. "I don't know how romantic slaying something can be, Eep."

"Well, we could set up a trap…" She began eagerly, putting her half finished bowl on the ground. "And then while we're not paying attention by _accident_ get tangled up together."

Guy snorted with a little smirk. "It's not an accident anymore if you plan it."

"If we pretend hard enough it can be," Eep declared with a wink, running a hand down his bicep, featherlight as she traced one stripe.

He shivered at the attention and had to focus so he didn't drop his food. Guy took a hearty bite to distract his thoughts, Eep wasn’t helping matters when she replaced her palm with her lips. Guy side eyed her as she blinked innocently up at him, cheeky.

"Aren't you hungry still?" Guy asked her, gesturing to her forgotten bowl.

"Maaayyybeeee," she hummed, dragging out the word before planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek. "Nothing here looks appealing enough though."

Guy huffed, putting his bowl next to hers so he could face her properly, hands free "You're terrible at being subtle," he told her, rolling his eyes good naturedly. 

Eep draped herself arms around his neck cheerfully, grinning as she shamelessly rubbed her fingers against his shoulder blades. "I don't need to be good at it so long as you get my point," she insisted, brushing her nose against his.

Guy held her by the waist, gently running his hands up and down her sides until they settled on her hips. "I can’t really show you how to make a flower crown if you keep my hands busy like this," he reminded her suddenly, angling his face closer to hers so their lips barely touched.

She seemed to hesitate thoughtfully, her breath fanning his lips as he felt her pout more so than saw it. "You do make a good argument there," she grouched, torn on kissing with Guy or having the floral crowns.

He grinned, Eep pulling back after giving it some serious contemplation. "Fine," she relented, letting him go with a slouch. 

Guy remedied this with a quick open mouth kiss to her jawline and throat, softly grazing the skin there with his prominent fangs. "I'll get the flowers from the basket," he murmured against her pulse, feeling it spike under his lips. He squeezed her waist a moment. 

Her breath hitched a little and she scowled, glowering down at him. "You are a cruel and bad husband," she accused him, Guy laughing as he pulled away to grab the flowers they'd brought.

"How about you pick some more here too? They'd probably look great with these," Guy mused, waving a daisy at her he held between his fingers.

Eep perked at the idea and hurriedly went off towards a deeper part of the flower field. Her eager eyes sought out what she deemed the most beautiful of the bunch and before Guy knew it, she was back. Her arms were full of bouquets and she dropped them unceremoniously into a pile. She dropped to her knees, looking at Guy.

"Okay, I think we got more than enough," he remarked mildly. "How many crowns do you think we're going to make?"

"We need one big enough for Chunky’s head," she replied and the deathcat in question lifted his head for a second before plopping it back down with a throaty chuff. 

Guy shook his head but didn't protest, finding the entire thing too adorable to tell her they had too much. "Alright, we definitely have enough for that." He paused, picking up a few of the flowers before passing some to Eep. 

Her wide eyes were on him. "Well?"

Guy realized he'd been staring, too busy reminiscing back in the early days of their relationship. She was just as game to try new things and learn from him like she was back then. 

"Anyway," he began, clearing his throat after shaking off the memory. "The trick to a good flower crown is how well you can weave." 

Eep had never been one to do activities like these, much more rough and tumble with no real thought of how she didn't have restraint when it came to her strength. She often broke things by accident in that regard. 

"I had to make things a lot by weaving and sewing," he explained. "Dawn used to make me braid her hair a lot when we were little too. Kinda translated into me making flower crowns when Dawn taught me."

Eep tried looking at her own hair, scrunched her face up thoughtfully. "Can you do mine one day?" She asked suddenly. 

"Braid your hair?" Guy asked and Eep nodded with something of a shy little grin. Inspiration struck him like a jolt of lighting. He smiled back at her and having a better idea, gestured at her. 

Eep crawled towards him and sat between his knees when Guy gave her room to do so. Her back against his chest, she felt his fingers suddenly deftly begin to mess with her hair.

"What are you doing?" She asked curiously, unable to resist trying to look at him.

"Something," he only said vaguely and after stroking his long fingers through her hair, reached down to grab a few flowers.

He made a waterfall braid in her hair, it was small and nothing compared to the Bettermans braids but he thought it would fit Eep best. Guy threaded a tigerlily through it, grabbing more and more flowers until she had a crown of them all around her head weaved into the braid.

Guy grinned, taking in his handy work and was surprised Eep could even look extra beautiful as she did now. He pulled her to her feet and guided her to the babbling brook Chunky was lounging by. Eep gave him a curious look when he gestured to the crystal clear water.

"Go on, have a look," he told her, trying not to sound too eager. Guy watched her as she crouched on all fours by the bank.

Eep took one look and he could tell he did a good job. She gave a shrill squeal, hopping to her feet to throw her arms around him in a hug that had him gasping for air. "Guy, I love them!" He was picked up off the ground a moment. "Can I do yours?"

Guy chortled, glancing at her as he caught his breath. He rubbed his ribs to relieve what would probably be a bruise later. "Sure," Guy replied. He'd seen Sandy's hair so part of him knew Eep had some idea how to style hair. 

"It probably won't be as good as yours though," she said, lightly touching the flowery waterfall braid and glancing back down at the stream. 

"Nobody starts off good at anything," he reassured her, grabbing her hand to give it an encouraging squeeze. "Practice makes better."

"I thought it was practice makes _perfect_."

"From my experience, you'll always find new ways to do things differently," Guy explained patiently, his words kind and wise. "You might think you have it all figured out when suddenly that changes and you find a better way to do it. People never stop improving, Eep."

He paused, grinning."Even with all my ideas I still have so much left to learn. I thought I mastered things but you point out how I can improve."

"Oh?" She sounded intrigued and couldn't help but ask. "Like what?"

"Well… sparring for one. I thought I was a decent fighter until I met you but then you made pulp out of me and pummeled me to the ground," he said with a chuckle. "I can still feel the bruises."

Eep coiled a strand of her hair on her finger in a pleased manner, biting her lower lip to suppress a flattered smile. She acted as if he said something like how beautiful her dress was or how could make up looked. It made Guy smile wider. "Really?" Her face was blushed red like a tomato. 

"Yeah, really," he told her.

"Well," Eep chirped, looking at him brightly. "If you teach me to be better at braids and flower crowns, I can help you be a better fighter. Deal?" She held her hand out and Guy stared at it.

She gave it a wave as she explained, "It's how you seal a deal, Guy. I just made it up."

"Alright, deal," Guy chortled, sheepish before taking her hand. She shook it and he felt her strength tremble up the entirety of his arm. He was almost worried she would pull his shoulder from its socket. "C'mon, let's finish that braid lesson," he said afterwards, heading back towards the blanket.

Eep didn't follow him though and Guy paused, turning to try and look at her. However he only saw her getting ready to lunge at him, crouched down and wiggling her haunches. Guy had a sinking feeling in his stomach and began to back pedal. 

"Eep," he said warningly, already knowing what was coming. "Wait - "

"I'm a big dangerous predator!" She interrupted him with a predatory grin. "You can't tell me to wait, I'm hunting my prey!"

She gave a dramatic growl as she pounced, agile as a tiger and Guy scrambled away to run down the hillside. " _Eep_!"

"There is no Eep!" She called at him, springing and running through the tall grass, alternating between four and two feet. "I'm an owlbear! Fight me!"

Eep was chasing after him through the grass of the meadow, Guy trying his best to duck and weave as he evaded her. He knew it was fruitless, one way or another she was going to get him but he was equally sure he would ruin her fun if didn’t go along with it. He risked looking behind him and it was a mistake, for he stumbled on a rock he didn't see. She pounced at him with a roar, her weight shoving him down. They were on a hill and with a yelp, the two rolled down together in a heap. Guy felt the wind get knocked out of him, luckily the spot they fell was soft enough from the lush green grass. Straddling his hips and pinning his arms above his head, she beamed down at him.

“I win,” she exclaimed, puffing her chest out proud as a peacock.

It brought him back to the ocean only two years or so back, when they’d fought for who would be queen or king of the rocks. Guy had won that one by playing dirty, he was good at pulling sneaky manevuers. It seemed vengeance was finally served, Guy dropping his head back on the grass with a breathless laugh.

“I give up,” he said.

"You can't give up," Eep insisted, poking him on his chest. "This is part of the lesson."

He grinned at her, panting from the run. "I thought you were going to braid my hair," Guy said. "What happened to the flower crowns?"

"Sparring is much more effective when you aren't expecting it!" The cavewoman told him, letting go of his arms as she sat up.

The words inspired him, he saw his chance when Eep let her guard down and suddenly he used his weight to roll the two of them over. Eep was startled, he felt it in her body as it tensed and she scrambled to get the higher ground again. There was a struggle as they tussled. 

Eep was a fighter since birth but Guy realized he could use that against her. In-between the pushing, pulling, struggling and kicking, Guy was carefully looking for an opening in Eep’s offense. Guy realized she was unaware of how she wasn’t looking out for blind spots in her defense, leaving herself exposed and unprotected. After several longer moments in their sparring, Guy shoved her with all his might once the opportunity presented itself. Eep stared wide eyed as he pinned her down. His hands were on her shoulders, applying pressure as he hovered over her and hips pinning hips.

He felt exhilarated, his chest heaving and heart pounding. "Turnabout is fair play," Guy quipped. "I hunted you back, mighty owlbear."

"You did," she huffed.

"Even if you let me win," Guy said, finally catching his breath. 

"I didn't let you win," she replied, sounding almost appalled at the notion.

He just arched a brow at her, doubtful.

"Okay, okay, I stopped playing about a quarter of the way through. You fight like a fox," Eep said, grinning. She felt proud of him. "Sneaky."

He swelled in pride at her words, letting go of one shoulder to cup her cheek. Eep seemed aware of their positions and finally relaxing, leaned into his touch. He leaned down without another thought, brushing his lips against her neck, trailing kisses up her throat and nibbled gently at her pulse.

She arched into him and he removed his hands completely to hold her face in between his palms to give her a proper kiss. He brushed her lower lip with his tongue, humming when she complied and deepened the kiss.

However, he made a mistake and Eep grabbed his arms and rolled them over, using her elbows to stabilize herself. Guy broke away with a surprised gasp, finding the blue sky above him and Eep pinning him down once again. He was torn between being pleased or disappointed he had been duped like this. 

His voice was husky, eying her kissed swollen lips and a shudder ran down his spine "And _you_ call _me_ sneaky."

Eep laughed, "I love you too." She ran her hands deliciously down his striped arms and rested them on his chest, feeling his heart pounding beneath her palms. She replaced them with her lips afterwards, gentle and loving as she pressed a kiss there. "Turnabout is fair play," she quoted him with a wink after pulling away. 

He pouted. Eep purred and wrapping her arms around his neck sank back down towards him, pressing her body down on his. There were no words for a long time between them, merely wrapped up together and Guy was more than happy to let her have this victory, closing his eyes as they kissed.


	5. Sleep Pile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This one technically takes place before the first theme, "Tomorrow". Its Eep and Guy's first night alone in their new house, Eep has trouble sleeping and Guy does what he can to help her relax and adjust. Marriage is all about compromise ofc. Its super short but its full of butterflies and sweet babbling brooking ~

Eep couldn’t sleep, she was twisting and turning every way possible but no position felt right. Her eyes dropped, she was tired yet wide awake all at once. Besides her, oblivious to her plight, her husband slept deeply and comfortably as can be. He was sprawled out like a starfish on the pallet, snoring away without a care in the world. She envied him, her green eyes watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. 

She stared longing out the window once she gave up on trying to get to sleep again, anxious as an animal predicting a bad storm. Eep quietly got up out of bed, leaning her weight on the windowsill to look at the hut just a short walk away from their new home. She knew her mother and father were fast asleep in there, piled up with the rest of the pack who had joined them that night to comfort Grug.

Eep had to admit, as much as she loved Guy and agreed to his proposal prior, she wasn't completely aware just how much she missed the comforting presence of her family. They'd been together all her life, packed up in the cave even though she'd hated that blasted dark and cramped old thing. At night when she was afraid, Eep always knew there would be the comforting warm bodies of her family. Teenage independence or not, she was still that little girl inside missing her mom and dad.

Crossing her elbows, she rested her head on them. Eep closed her eyes, trying to imagine the warmth of their bodies surrounding her. It almost felt real when she finally began dozing off, feeling arms wrapped against her torso and the warmth of breath fanning her ear…

Wait.

Popping an eye open, she realized Guy had crept up behind her. He held her close, chin propped on her tense shoulder. 

"I know it's hard," he murmured, pressing a soft, loving kiss to the side of her neck. 

"I'm sorry I woke you," Eep only said, not wanting to admit she felt insecure in this new normal that would be the rest of their lives.

Guy just gave her another kiss. "I  _ want  _ you to wake me up, Eep. It's what I'm here for, I love you."

She relinquished her spot leaning against the circular window to lean her weight completely against her mate’s. Guy clutched her tighter, swaying back and forth. It reminded Eep of when Ugga used to comfort her after a bad dream as a child. Eep sighed, turning away to press her nose into Guy's collarbone, feeling his pulse trum beneath her lips.

"I love you too but it's a silly thing to need to wake you up over," Eep told him in a frustrated huff. "I'm a big girl."

Guy stroked her abdomen and sides comfortingly as he hugged her. "I know you are," he assured her in that patient voice of his. "This is a big change for you though, it's okay to be nervous."

"I'm not nervous," she mumbled stubbornly, feeling Guy's chest rumble as he gave a fond little chuckle. He nuzzled her cheek and jawline with his nose and lips.

"You're stiff as this treehouse, babe." He unwound his arms to massage her shoulders, feeling the corded muscle beneath her skin tense under his calloused palms. "Relax," Guy murmured, starting to layer kiss after kiss along her neck until he could nibble the skin of her collarbone. 

"How am I supposed to relax when you're doing  _ that?"  _ She accused him in a breathy voice, eying him.

"I'm great at distractions," he insisted with a smile, not stopping as he moved onto her jawline. "Come back to bed."

She gave one last longing look towards the window but the gentle kisses and careful attention Guy gave her was much more inviting now. Guy dropped his hand to hers, clutching it tightly in reassurance. It grounded her, reminding her she wasn't alone.

"You're my pack, Eep." He sat down on the pallet and tugged her down to sat on his lap. He held her hands to his heart, Eep feeling it drum under her palms. Eep gently stroked the indentation between his pectorals, tracing a scar that ran down alongside the spider webbing veins of his heart. "Tell me what I can do."

She just hugged him, her weight surprised him because he fell backwards on the soft, fur lined bed. Her legs tangled with his and her arms wound around his shoulders. She mumbled into his neck.

"Eep?" Guy couldn't catch her words.

"Sleep pile?" She asked, drawing away to look at him hopefully. 

His face was covered in darkness but the moonlight shaped the sharp contours of his nose, cheeks and the brightness of his dark eyes. Usually dark as stone, they looked lighter and bluer almost. 

Guy smiled gently at her, reaching up to push a strand of red hair behind her ear. "Is that it?"

Eep nodded, almost sheepish. "I  _ know  _ you're not a fan but…"

"It's okay," he chuckled, leaning up to catch her lips with his. He drew her into a soft and tender little kiss, an ember gently burning her blood at his love. She kissed him back, relishing in the familiarity as he nudged her over beneath him. "You're the only exception," Guy told her, lifting her palm to press his nose against it.

The gesture made her heart swell, skipping a beat. He knew what it meant to her, true love as his kisses did. For a moment they just exchanged loving looks before it turned into touches, hands gently exploring and kisses traded back and forth lazily until Eep felt herself relaxed at last. She sighed blissfully into his skin, pressing one last kiss onto his chest before curling around his skinny frame above him.

Guy shifted his legs to get more comfortable, feeling her stocky body cuddled against his torso, her heart beating like a lullaby. He breathed out, one arm around her back, fingers drawing circles upon scar after scar littered all over. He'd made sure to kiss each and every one of them with loving attention, beautiful and physical reminders of how much of a fighter she was.

That's why he knew she would adjust in time to it just being the two of them. Eep was no quitter, fear didn't rule her and if it had they would have never met. Eep hummed happily at his touch, her arms tightly around his shoulders.

"Better?" Guy asked in a whisper, eyes closing as he felt sleep creep upon him. 

"Emphasis on the better," she quipped, making him laugh, voice sounding timbered from his tiredness and what they'd done prior. "Much… thank you."

"I love you," he reminded her, "That's why I'm here, no matter what."

"Okay," she only said, smiling before pulling him closer, Guy wondered if she was turning into a quilt at this rate. "Still… thanks."

He only hummed, pressing his nose against her sturdy frame. Guy waited until he felt the slow and even breaths that told him Eep was finally sound asleep. He relaxed and with a sleepy mumble, let himself drift off again.

Once morning came, he only held her closer despite the awkward position but he didn't care. This was the only sleep pile he could say without a single doubt he liked.

It reeked of love.


End file.
